Navigate LUX with Spaceitup

On Thursday LUX Helsinki will start again. Around town impressive light installations with aw visitors again for four days again. The 9th LUX Helsinki features 15 exiting exhibits by artists from Finland and around the world.

And there is something special about this year's event. The location service Spaceitup has created a map that allows easy navigation along all light installation.

Just install the Android app and enter the LUX space. You find the app here. Be aware that Spaceitup is still in testing phase and might still have some bugs. The app, as well as LUX Helsinki itself is free.

Winter is coming...in spring

Nono, don't worry, the cold time of the year is over. But Game of Thrones is in town. Today The Hall Of Faces open its doors on Narinkkatori. The exhibition on the successful fantasy TV show is free to enter and lets you dive into the world of Game of Thrones.

Put your picture in the hall of faces, sit on the iron throne and fight with "Needle", Ayra's sword.

The exhibition is in Helsinki from Wednesday until Sunday. So don't miss out and drop by.

Free museum entrance

Are you up for some art? Then come to the Sinebrychoff Museum of Art on Bulevardi just a few hundred meters away from the city center.

They have changing exhibitions on the ground floor and the basement. And apart from that their house museum on the first floor is open to anyone for free.

Have a look and enjoy!

Whiskey and beer expo

This is the weekend for beer and whiskey enthusiasts. And no, I am not talking about drunks but people that know to appreciate a good drop for craft beer or carefully distilled whiskey.

Today the Olut Expo starts at Kaapelitehdas. 47 exhibitors present their fine products to the visitors. It is of course about tasting here. For a reasonable price you can try the different drinks and enjoy exquisite brews and spirits.

The entrance to the expo is 15 € on Friday and Saturday and 10 € on Sunday. For all three days you pay 25 €.

Have a good weekend!

Germans, the invisible foreigners?

Finland is this far away, isolated country up North, right? Well, actually Finland was probably less isolated than you would think. Apart from its neighbors it was also in regular exchange with many German speaking areas and countries.

There are a lot of German influences to be found in Finland and especially in Helsinki. The German Culture Week starting this Friday shows that.

In three exhibitions accompanied by several other events it introduces the German culture in Finland, Helsinki as well as German culture in general. More information on the German Culture Week under the motto "The invisible foreigners?" can be found on Facebook and the official website.

All events are free of charge. The exhibitions stay open at the International Culture Center Caisa until October 25.

Light in the underworld Helsinki

It get's dark earlier again these days. That doesn't have to be a bad thing though. Now not only the city lights come back but there is also space for light installations again.

One of them can still be seen today on Baana, the walking and cycling path connecting Ruoholahti with Kansalaispuisto.

"Light in the underworld Helsinki" is light exhibition with several installations along the path. It can be best seen during the evening ours. It is free and open for everyone.

Check it out tonight and have a nice Sunday!

Helsinki's Waterline

Did you know that Helsinki has over 130 km of coastline? Quite impressive, isn't it? Water is basically everywhere here. You can hardly miss it. The sea reaches deep into the city and even Töölönlahti, which looks like a lake is actually sea water.

Since water and the sea play such an important role for the cities and its inhabitants there is now an exhibition on Helsinki's waterline at Laituri. 

Find out more about Helsinki's coast line and what Helsinkians have to say about it. The exhibition still goes on until September 12 and is as always free of charge.

Citizens' flashback

How would an exhibition look that is organized purely by the citizens of a city? No idea? Well, then have a look at the #flashback exhibition at Helsingin Kaupunki Museum.

All the photos displayed here have been selected by a group of Helsinki citizens. The group has also decided on the themes and the way it should be organized.

The entrance to #flashback is free and the exhibition can still be visited until the end of April.

Dreams of a better world

Building and the use of the built environment are the cause for many environmental problems. But on the other hand they can also help us find solutions to these problems.

Some of those solutions are displayed at Laituri at the moment. Dreams of a better world is an exhibition on sustanaible building and worth a visit.

Laituri is open from Monday to Saturday and the entrance is as always free of charge.

Creative and cozy

Wanna get creative? Then check out Rupla. The new place on Helsinginkatu is a so called creative space. You can come here for art exhibitions, to look for cool vintage furniture or designer clothing and accessories, join a workshop, visit one of their many events like from live music to theatre. Or you can just come for a good cup of freshly grainded coffee and a piece of cake.

 

Raw cake, to be more specific. And they are pretty good. One of their most popular ones is the mint chocolate one. They also have a wide selections of organic teas and raw chocolate.

Give it a try! It's worth dropping by!

Europe in Helsinki

Does architecture interest you? And are you interested in finding out more about the history and building culture in Europe and Helsinki's role in it?

Then you should still visit Laituri's current exhibition "Europe in Helsinki" wich deals with exactly this topic. Here Europe's architectural history of over 3000 years is devided into 300-year periods and presented in a easily understandable way.

The exhibition was developed in a cooperation of the Tampere University of Technology and the Helsinki City Planning Department. It is still open for visitors until September 6. As always the entrance is for free.

Creating the Future

Arkki, the School of Architecture for Children and Youth, is celebrating its 20th anniversary with an exhibition on architectural education. The exhibition at Laituri is open free of charge for everyone interested.

Till the end of May several different projects that the kids at Arkki have worked on are on display ranging from drawings to scale models. Works from all age groups (4 -19) are displayed.

Take a look yourself!

How's Pasila gonna look?

During the next years some areas in Helsinki will undergo massive changes. One of them is Pasila. A new train station with a whole new block of modern and functional buildings will help to connect East and West Pasila and at the same time make the whole area more attractive.

If you already want to see today how it's going to look there in a few years you should pay a visit to Laituri. Till the end of April the Pasila 3.0 exhibition is on display there. And along with pictures and explainations you can even take an interactive virtual 3D tour through new Pasila with Oculus goggles.

Check it out. The entrance is as always free and it's worth a visit.

Tuomiokirkko in color

If you haven't been to LUX Helsinki yet you still have two days to go. It would be a shame to miss it - especially the amazing light and sound installation Corazón at Tuomiokirkko.

Lux Helsinki 2014

As every year in January when the nights are long and there is little sunlight in Helsinki it's time for the big light exhibition Lux Helsinki.

This year twelve light installations are put up all over the city center. With light and often also sound the visitors dive into a wonderful, sometimes surreal world of colors lightening the darkness. Follow the LUX path leading you along almost all of the installations in the center.

The Lux exhibitions can be viewed starting from today till January 8 every evening from 17:00 till 22:00. Additionally the LUX IN exhibition at Kaapelithedas is open from 14:00 till 22:00. The Fire Circus Walkea at Kansalaistori performs daily from 18:00 till 19:30.

For more information visit the LUX Helsinki website.

Italian cribs in Helsinki

If you are not too busy with Christmas shopping today you might want to visit the crypt of the Helsinki Cathedral (White Church) and see the "In those days..." exhibition.

It is all about cribs from Italy. Many beautiful exhibits are on display. At the same time you can take a look at the magnificent Crypt of the Lutheran Cathedral of Helsinki.

The entrance to the exhibition is for free. It is still open till January 6. More information can be found on the official website.

Happy birthday, Ateneum!

Tomorrow is Ateneum’s birthday. And this occasion of course doesn't go without a big celebration. The renowned museum in Finland that hosts the biggest collections of classical art in Finland starts its special program on Sunday at 11:00. During the whole day the museum is admission free.

Ateneum awaits the visitors with workshops, guided tours, lectures and discussions. For more information check out their website.

Have a nice weekend!

The home of Gallen-Kallela

Akseli Gallen-Kallela was one of the most famous Finnish painters and is well-known for his illustrations of the Finnish national epic Kalevala.

In 1961 his house and studio in Tarvaspää, Espoo was turned into a museum and opened for the public. Here you can find out more about the painter whose work was extremely important for the Finnish national identity. For an entrance fee of 8 € you can visit the museum that shows not only where Gallen-Kallela lived and worked but also has changing exhibitions. Most of Gallen-Kalela’s famous paintings aren’t on display here though but at Ateneum in the city center. If you take your smart phone with you, you can have a free audio tour through and around the museum.

Also the surrounding area is worth the visit. Stop for a short break at the small café next to the museum and go for a walk around the small island the museum is build on. Tarvaspää is perfect for a nice weekend walk.

New Horizons for a fast growing city

Helsinki is one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in Europe. It attracts businesses and with them people from all over Finland and the whole world.

The former cargo harbor Jätkäsaari is rapidly turning into an attractive living and business area. But also in many other parts of the city new buildings rise constantly.

To find out more about Helsinki’s plans for the future, new ideas for the city, about ongoing and already finished projects visit the Helsinki New Horizons exhibition at Laituri next to Kamppi Kauppakeskus. The information in the charts is in Finnish but you can ask for the English information sheet. The staff will also be happy to help you and tell you more.

As always the entrance is for free. For more information visit laituri.fi and uuttahelsinkia.fi. 

From Baana to UrBaana

Baana, the new cycling and walking path connecting Ruoholahti to the center has improved the way of moving around in Helsinki for pedestrians and cyclists a lot. But there are plans to make Baana even more attractive.

Experts from the fields of architecture, ecological city planning, art, traffic engineering and design have envisioned new ways to connect Baana to other cultural centers in the city and to make the area even more attractive.

To find out more about the plans visit Laituri on Narinkka (exhibition still open till August 29) in the center or take a look at the project’s website.