Helsinki Design Week, the largest design festival in the Nordic countries, will once again be held around the city and online from 1 to 11 September 2022. The theme of this year’s festival is “We are open”.
The theme of openness is especially evident in Open Studios, which has been a part of the festival programme since 2005. Open Studios opens the doors of creative Helsinki offices on three days and evenings to students, professionals, the press and curious city dwellers.
— Openness is essential in any development, and integral in the design process, says Anni Korkman, Programme Director of the Helsinki Design Week Festival and the Weekly media platform.
— For us, the studio is a state of mind. Having said that, the working spaces are usually quite interesting places, too. I find it very inspiring to be able to see behind the scenes again after a long pandemic period; what kind of design city Helsinki is and who makes that happen. Guided tours of the studios, which represent a broad spectrum of the design industry, will take place. We also run recruiting events, design talks and, of course, fun, informal, after-work evenings, says Korkman.
Open Studios also features HDW’s Organizing Partners, opening the workspaces of members of Grafia, Safa and Ornamo. The Organizing Partners represent key organizations in HDW’s extensive stakeholder network.
10 years as a design city: urban design and design for children
The main partner of the festival this year is the City of Helsinki. The city’s partnership is a part of a long-term collaboration with Helsinki Design Week which aims to strengthen Helsinki’s profile as a design city.
— This year marks 10 years since Helsinki was the World Design Capital. The year 2012 was the starting point for Helsinki to make extensive use of design within the city’s organization. We also want to highlight the importance and scope of urban design during Helsinki Design Week. A new form of cooperation with Helsinki Design Week is the Helsinki Design Award, says Hanna Harris, Chief Design Officer of Helsinki.
A traditional part of Helsinki Design Week’s programme is Children’s Design Week, whose HDW Children’s Windows will once again be implemented in cooperation with the City of Helsinki. In the Children’s Windows programme, children get to know the world of design through workshops and an installation together with experts in the field of design.
Another classic Main Event of Helsinki Design Week is the Design Market, which will return to the Cable Factory. Other events include the popular Design Diplomacy talks series, which arranges inspiring encounters in the residences of Helsinki-based ambassadors.
In addition, a whole series of the popular PechaKucha events will be held, one of them taking place at the Aalto University campus in Otaniemi and another as a part of Children’s Design Week.
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Helsinki Design Week
Photo: Aleksi Poutanen, Helsinki Design Week