Unexpected cultural treats

I came to Helsinki straight after several weeks spent in London and Paris.  While I had certain pictures in my mind of what those experiences might involve I had very little idea what the Helsinki experience might entail, especially when it came to the arts and culture.

What a wonderful adventure it has been.  The first day we arrived it was the Saturday of the Kallio Block Party and this was going on in the very street of our apartment. There were at least three stages and a great range of music from jazz to what seemed like Scandanavian regae mixed withhip hop!  We also enjoyed checking out the street fashions, lots of cool hair cuts and sun glasses.

There’s all the usual galleries you might expect of a national capital and Kiasma and National Art Galleries were terrific, but it is the festivals and outdoor events that have been the true revelation.  We’re lucky to have been here for festival season and what a treat to discover acts such as Neil Young, Nick Cave and Kraftwerk were in town (not that I got to see any of them)!  And this week the international acts keep coming with the Helsinki Festival. I saw an amazing live performance/film piece called ‘Kiss and Cry’ on Friday night out at Espoo – an incredible experience combining hand choreography, miniature sets, model trains and a beautiful story of a woman recalling the five lost loves of her life.  I am also more than a little excited about seeing Philip Glass and the Helsinki Philharmonic performing his score for the Live Koyaanisqatsi event tomorrow night. While that event’s now booked out there are still so many others to choose from.  The week ends with Night of the Arts and what a great way to conclude our Summer School experience, with events occurring all over the city.  It’s been lovely to experience the buzz of the city at the height of summer and while it’s busy it’s nothing like the crowds in London and Paris.  For that I am most grateful – Helsinki is a city on a much more human scale, it’s a city with heart but also some cool culture and style.

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Text and photo by: Sue Davis, Australia (Activity Theory and Formative Interventions Summer School Group)