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World video travel guide
World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 starts on New Year’s Night
World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 gets underway at the traditional New Year celebrations organised by the City of Helsinki. The festivities take place on Saturday 31 December 2011 starting at 22.00 on Senate Square.
The highlight of the night is the video work Ylistys Helsingille [In praise of Helsinki], which was produced in honour of WDC Helsinki 2012 and will be shown just before the turn of the year. The biggest three-dimensional architectural projection ever performed in Finland will bring the Cathedral to life in a way never seen before.
The three-minute work is designed and executed by the Finnish production company Mural Media, which specialises in 3D projection mappings. The video work contains illustrations by Finnish top designers. Of the illustrators from Agent Pekka, which was selected Finnish Graphic Designer of the Year 2011, contributors to the video work include Antti Uotila, Eero Johannes, Janine Rewell and Santtu Mustonen. Works by Agent Pekka illustrators will also be seen throughout the evening on the buildings surrounding Senate Square.
World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 will be opened by Soon-in Lee, President of the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (Icsid). Soon-in Lee is a renowned Korean designer who heads the Seoul Design Center as well as Icsid. On behalf of the five host cities (Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, Kauniainen and Lahti) and the Finnish design community, a New Year’s resolution to the world will be given by the young designer Minna Piironen. Piironen graduated from Aalto University last spring, studied city farming for her dissertation, and currently works as a member of the KONE designer team. The audience is also invited to join in: the revellers can pass on their own resolutions at a special ‘Resolutions Bar’.
The evening is hosted by the Mayor of Helsinki, Jussi Pajunen, and as usual, the programme also includes musical performances. The stage will be taken by the choir Out ’n loud, the AiA band, Step Up Dancers, beatboxer Felix Zenger, as well as Jari Sillanpää, King of all Tango Kings. The presenters are Baba Lybeck and Axl Smith. The performers of the evening are styled by designer Antti Asplund. Those arriving will be greeted and leavers bid farewell with the aid of Finnish Greetings Mittens.
The whole of Finland and the world are invited to join the Senate Square New Year celebrations via YLE TV1 22.55-00.05. The broadcast can be seen online at areena.yle.fi/live (the site is only in Finnish but the broadcast can be found with the headline \"Vuosi Vaihtuu 2011\") , as well as on TV. The Senate Square New Year festivities are produced by the City of Helsinki.
As part of the New Year festivities, there is a pre-party for families with young children at Kiasma at 13.00-17.00. The empty exhibition halls have been filled with an adventure trail in lights for the whole family, with workshops, shadow puppets, light painting, shadow dancing and a sound/lightwork along the way. Admission to the pre-party is free. The event is organised by the City of Helsinki and Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art.
The programme for the evening
22.00
- Resolutions Bar on Senate Square opens. Come and make your own New Year’s resolution! All resolutionists receive a cup of hot chocolate.
- The choir Out ’n loud takes to the stage at ten o’clock.
- At about 22.30, the audience joins Jari Sillanpää and AiA in singing Abba’s legendary Happy New Year.
- Step Up Dancers then warm up the revellers.
- Lightworks on the buildings surrounding Senate Square.
22.55
- YLE TV1 live broadcast begins.
- The Mayor of Helsinki Jussi Pajunen welcomes everyone to the party.
- As well as Jari Sillanpää, AiA and Out \'n loud, beatboxer Felix Zenger springs a surprise on the audience.
- World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 is opened by Soon-in Lee, President of the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design, or Icsid.
- Young designer Minna Piironen makes a New Year resolution.
- Just before the year turns, the Cathedral is brought to life by a three-dimensional video work by Mural Media and Agent Pekka illustrators.
00.00
- Helsinki is the World Design Capital 2012.
- Fireworks display on Senate Square.
WDC Helsinki 2012 starts something new every other day
The WDC Helsinki 2012 array of programmes contains about 300 projects, all of them utilising or showcasing design in various ways. Half of the programme consists of various development projects applying different forms of design to unusual extents. The other half of the programme comprises a variety of event-type projects aiming to make design more visible.
The range of events in the first three months of WDC Helsinki 2012 is lively: something new begins almost every other day. There are more than 80 events in all in the WDC Helsinki 2012 programme for January-March.
Find out about the WDC Helsinki 2012 programme
- Online at www.wdchelsinki2012.fi
- On Facebook at www.facebook.com/wdchelsinki2012
- On Twitter at twitter.com/wdchelsinki2012
- On Tumbl at wdchelsinki2012.tumblr.com
- By ordering the newsletter at www.wdchelsinki2012.fi
- Using the mobile app WDC 2012, to be launched 4 January
Further information on the New Year celebrations
- World Design Capital Helsinki 2012: Programme Director Kaarina Gould, kaarina.gould@wdchelsinki2012.fi, tel. 0400 350 505
- City of Helsinki: Producer Susa Nokelainen, susa.nokelainen@hel.fi, tel. 050 593 3438
The media at the New Year festivities (interviews, photo opportunities)
- Communications Manager Sirpa Jyrkänne, City of Helsinki, sirpa.jyrkanne@hel.fi, tel. 040 334 7054
Further information on World Design Capital Helsinki 2012
- Programme Director Kaarina Gould, kaarina.gould@wdchelsinki2012.fi, tel. 0400 350 505
