The Art Newspaper

Helsinki named design capital of the world for 2012

A series of exhibitions, conferences and other events are being planned

By Brook S. Mason. Web only
Published online: 15 March 2011

Above, Senate Square in Helsinki

Helsinki. The Finnish captial, Helsinki, which is under consideration for a satellite Guggenheim museum, has been named World Design Capital 2012 by the Montreal-based International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID).

A series of exhibitions, conferences and other events related to innovations in architecture, city planning and design are being planned by the International Design Foundation in Helsinki, with advisory board members including Helena Hyvönen, the executive dean of the Aalto University School of Art and Design, and Juulia Kauste, the director of the Museum of Finnish Architecture. “In addition, satellite events will be held around the world beginning this year,” said a Finnish consulate spokesperson in New York.

Two years ago, Seoul was the second city to be crowned World Design Captial and staged multiple events, drawing more than 1 million visitors, according to AsiaPulse News. While an economic impact study on that series of events is still under way, it is clear the financial gains as well as increased visibility for a country’s designers can be considerable.

Based in Canada, the ICSID was formed in 1957 to promote design globally and has since held numerous conferences and events. As more than half the world’s population live in cities, their World Design Capital programme, which throws a spotlight on the transformative power of design in a single city, is timely.