Rovaniemi Design Week 2012

Events and trivia

The world’s northernmost design week will be organised for the fourth time in Rovaniemi, at the Arctic Circle in Finland on 17-26 February 2012, in the middle of the Scandinavian winter.

With the temperature well below zero, the landscape covered with pure white snow, day light hours minimal, and night skies lit with Aurora Borealis, the Rovaniemi Design Week is precisely the right platform for Arctic Design. The Arctic climate poses some intriguing challenges for design from the viewpoints of housing, construction, travel, wellbeing and tourism.

The theme for the 2012 Rovaniemi Design Week is Lightness and Darkness. The programme includes exhibitions, fashion shows, designer brunches, designer boutiques, snowy events and international design seminars.

Design Week 2012 will be given its own design and event centre to be located in the Lappia House, which was designed for Rovaniemi by Alvar Aalto. Also new for this year is an extraordinary show full of Arctic light, sounds, forms and clothing design. An area made entirely of snow and ice will be made for the event in the town centre of Rovaniemi, where the educational sectors of the Faculty of Art of the northernmost university in the entire European Union - University of Lapland - will be present.

What can designers accomplish in a single day? The 24-hour Design Competition is one of the focal points of the world’s northernmost design week that distinguishes the Rovaniemi Design Week from other design weeks around the globe. During the 24-hour period, the multidisciplinary design teams work on the given design challenge with the goal of developing Rovaniemi for townspeople and tourists alike.

What makes all this possible in the Official Hometown of Santa Claus, a small town of 60,000 inhabitants? It is the presence of the University of Lapland, it is the will of the town of Rovaniemi to develop through design, it is the over three hundred creative industry enterprises operating in Rovaniemi and it is the spirit of Lapland – lots of willpower and a touch of madness and magic.

PROGRAM

 
Rovaniemi Design Week 2012, 17 – 26 February
The World’s Northernmost Design Week

The theme of the event for 2012 is Arctic Design – Lightness & Darkness.

The week is full of northern expertise, international nuances, arctic conditions, lightness and darkness, unprecedented experiences, workshops, concerts, entertainment, culture, the design café, design brunch and much more.
Rovaniemi Design Week 2012 is Rovaniemi’s main event for the World Design Capital.


ROVANIEMI DESIGN WEEK 2012 EVENTS
HIGHLIGHT! = one of the week’s highlights

FOR EVERYONE

EXHIBITIONS

Lappia House DESIGN CENTRE, OPEN THE ENTIRE WEEK

A design centre will be opened for ten days in the Lappia House in Rovaniemi that unveils the scope and diversity of the design field. The Design Centre carries the theme of Lightness & Darkness that works as a basis for exhibitions, company presentations, design boutiques, art lending shop, a cafeteria, seminars and a variety of events.

Lappia House Design Centre, Grand Opening on 17 February at 6 p.m.
Open daily 18 – 26 February 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. Free admission.


Exhibitions in KORUNDI, PILKE and ARKTIKUM open all week

PILKE

Take a Friend into the Dark – workshop, Monday – Friday  

In the workshop you can make a paper friend that glows when it is dark. In the instructed workshop, excursions into the dark with friends are also arranged in the Pilke exhibition. The workshops are included in the Pilke admission fee (children under 7 years no charge).

Pilke, 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. Workshop for independent craft makers Monday – Friday 20-24 February, non-stop
Instructed workshops Monday – Friday 20-24 February 2 – 3 p.m.

Design Café Monday – Friday 20-24 February 17.30
In honour of the Design Week, the Pilke Café will be named Design Café. Every weekday 20 – 24 February at 5:30 p.m. there will be a presentation about wooden or forest design themes, coffee and exploring the Pilke exhibition.
Free admission.
Monday – Friday 20-24 February at 5:30 p.m.




OTHER PROGRAMMES DURING THE WEEK INTENDED FOR EVERYONE

Events listed in chronological order

Grand Opening Ceremony, Friday 17 February

Friday 17 February is the Grand Opening Ceremony for the fourth Rovaniemi Design Week. On Friday evening the Lappia House will be festively and entertainingly opened including the Design Centre and the Design Week itself. The Grand Opening Ceremony is open to everyone!

Grand Opening Ceremony, Friday 17 February at 6 p.m., Lappia House Design Centre, free admission

Design Strolls,
Saturday 18 February, Wednesday 22 February and Saturday 25 February
On a Design Stroll in Rovaniemi, there are two different routes taking participants to explore different perspectives of design, architecture, interiors and culture by visiting boutiques, cafeterias, design enterprises and cultural spots. The routes have been made in co-operation between the WDC2012 Helsinki–Rovaniemi Project and Rovaniemen Matkailuoppaat ry (Rovaniemi Guide Association).

Saturday 18 February  starting at 12 noon from the Rovaniemi Design Lounge (Route no. 1) to the Lappia House  
Wednesday 22 February  starting at 4 p.m. from the Rovaniemi Design Lounge (Route no. 2) to Arktikum/Pilke, where you can participate in the Design Café at 6 p.m.
Saturday 25 February  starting at 12 noon from Arktikum (Route no. 2 from end to start) to the Rovaniemi Design Lounge/Ainonkatu street, guidance in English


HIGHLIGHT! KAAMOS ON / OFF – Design Show,
Saturday 18th & Friday 24th February

Lapland University’s Faculty of Art & Design displays its expertise in a unique design event. Set in a snow and ice environment constructed in the centre of the town of Rovaniemi, Saturday 18th and Friday 24th February, is an unprecedented event displaying arctic light, sound, shapes and clothes designs in arctic conditions.  

KAAMOS ON / OFF – Design Show Saturday 18 February 2012 and Friday 24 February 2012 at 7 p.m.
The venue is a snowy and icy environment (Arctic Snow Room) built in the centre of the town of Rovaniemi.

Arctic Snow Room

KAAMOS ON/OFF is arranged on the raised parking platform on the Pekankatu street in the centre of town in the Arctic Snow Room environment. Lapland Snow Design Project has participated in the design of the venue which is implemented by the Faculty of Art and Design together with the Rovaniemi University of Applied Sciences. Realisation of the project is sponsored by City Hotel and the Business and Regional Development Agency of the City of Rovaniemi.

Kultajoki – Gold River movie, Sunday 19 February
Not a single gram without passion

A movie about the Lappish Gold Rush and a female photographer on a quest to find today’s gold diggers on the rivers of the Arctic, and how her romantic idea of panning for gold on warm midsummer nights is soon dampened by the harsh reality of the life of gold washers along the wild Arctic rivers. The movie is a portrait of remarkable persons in a rugged landscape of wild beauty.

Documentary film, 16:9, Full HD: 90 min.
Bernd A. Bartusévics and Annett Pée
Music: Pekka Kumpulainen
Sunday 19 February at 7 p.m., Korundi-Sali Hall


Finnsurf, Sunday 19th and Wednesday 22nd February

Finnsurf is the world’s first Finnish surf movie. You may think you can’t surf in Finland, but the movie tells a completely different story. The documentary is told through the lives of five Finnish surfers.

Sunday and Wednesday at 8 p.m.
Tickets 7€, ticket sales begin at the door 45 minutes before the start of the showing.
Showings in Arctic Snow Room, Pekankatu parking platform.
Shows are outside performances, so make sure you dress up warmly.
www.finnsurf.fi



Clothes on for any weather!
Tuesday 21st and Wednesday 22nd February
The Design Lounge shows the latest design works of the Clothing Design course students of the University of Lapland and the course publications. Visitors to the event will be able to actually witness and experience what the clothing design process is, and what methods, instruments and software it uses. The Design Lounge also displays examples of virtual design and the possibilities it holds.
In the lounge, everyone can test their own skills working as a clothing designer by taking part in the playful design competition. Those faring best in the competition will be awarded a clothing industry related prize. The panel of judges comprises the clothing design course staff.
Everyone interested is welcome to take a look!
Clothes on for any weather!
21–22 February 2012, 12 noon – 6 p.m.
Rovaniemi Design Lounge
Ainonkatu 1
96200 Rovaniemi

Hot Tub Cinema,
Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 23-25 February

Watching a movie in the cold while you’re warm? Now you have the opportunity to experience the pleasure of watching a movie from a hot tub in a wintry environment. For a few days, a Hot Tub Cinema will be erected in the Design Centre grounds of the Lappia House.
Hot Tub Cinema, Lappia House
Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 23rd, 24th and 25th February
5pm - 9pm, tickets: 10e/5e

HIGHLIGHT! Lightness & Darkness – solo for a forestry machine, Friday and Saturday

Rumbling sounds, light and the flight of powdery snow in the dark forest – how nimble can a 20-ton Ponsse be? Come and take a look!  Make sure you’re dressed warmly!
Bus trip to the machine ballet Friday 24th and Saturday 25th February 5 – 7 p.m.
Departure and return at the upper forecourt of Pilke.

Rovaniemi Service JAM, Friday – Sunday, 24–26 February
A weekend of jamming around the design theme for 48 hours. This will be an exciting experience where teams on the global network work together on a single given exercise.

The Jam is intended for everyone, townspeople, experts and companies alike. The Jam begins on Friday and ends on Sunday.
Rovaniemi Design Lounge, Ainonkatu 1
REGISTER for the Rovaniemi event by Friday 17 February 2012:
Tuija Jerndahl, tel. +358 40 484 4421 or tuija.jerndahl@ulapland.fi




Mad About Snow – winter sports festival at Ounasvaara, Saturday 25 February

Deep Snow Baseball, Deep Snow Soccer, Deep Snow Judo, Beanie Ice Hockey, Deep Snow Beach Volley and Deep Snow Orienteering. The winter sports festival at Ounasvaara to which you can register with perhaps a friend or colleagues. The event is in the Shrovetide Carnival spirit and the people with the most spectacular or outrageous costumes and attitudes will be awarded prizes. You can also admire ice sculptures, ski jumping or an exciting airsoft battle track. The area constructed around the ski stadium also has free musical performances, a DJ and a wide range of food and drinks. The event suits everyone and there is non-stop transportation from the town centre.
The event is hosted by Viivi Pumpanen.
Saturday 25 February 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Ounasvaara
www.madaboutsnow.fi

Pimp my Pulkka, Mad About Snow, Saturday 25 February

Sledging the Ounasvaara slopes with students to show you how.
An event free for all, as part of the Mad About Snow Shrovetide Saturday event where imagination knows no bounds.
The best and unique sledge pimping and designs will be awarded a prize of a holiday voucher abroad.
Saturday 25 February, Ounasvaara, 12 noon – 3 p.m.
www.madaboutsnow.fi

Audiovisual Spatial Installation Workshop
20 – 24 February in Arktikum (top corridor).
Grand Opening Saturday 25 February at 10 a.m., from which commences the Design Walk Stroll towards the town centre.

Closing Festivities, Saturday 25 February

Saturday 25 February is the time for the Closing Party. Pilke Science Centre invites everyone to enjoy snacks and good company starting at 7 p.m. The Lightness and Darkness theme continues even in the closing festivities.

Closing Festivities, Saturday 25 February, 7 – 9 p.m., PILKE, free admission


HIGHLIGHT! Design Brunch is a serving of local Lappish food, Sunday 26 February
 
To bring the Rovaniemi Design Week to a close, the week’s guests and the townspeople are once more invited to feast on culinary delights. The Design Brunch serves up delicious food in a great atmosphere, not forgetting being organic and Lappish.

Design Brunch, Sunday 26 February 2012 at the Lappia House Design Centre
Table Reservations: daamiaiset@gmail.com



EXTRA PROGRAMMES FOR THE WEEK
Culture in its many forms

EXTRA Kyyhkynen – murder mystery, Friday 17th and Saturday 18th February          
This new Lappish play tells a rich story of the artist Juho K. Kyyhkynen whose life and premature death has all the elements of a legend. Kyyhkynen is a murder mystery, but also a playful story of a jovial person who took only his art seriously.
Script by Leena Talvensaari, directed by Esko Janhunen,
cast Olli Halttu, Irene Tikka, Hannu Friman and Harri Viita

Performances Friday 17th and Saturday 18 February at 7 p.m., Korundi
Tickets: 19 € / adults,  
14 € / senior citizens,  
10 € / children, students, unemployed
sales point commission +2.50 € / ticket

Includes admission to the Rovaniemi Art Museum exhibition The Magic of Lapland 10 February – 13 May 2012
Ticket sales at Korundi, tel. +358 16 3222 822, info@korundi.fi and www.lippu.fi


EXTRA Os Violinhos! Violin concert Monday 20 February

The young violinists from the Lisbon Music Academy take the Lappia House by storm with their tremendous performance.

Monday 20 February, Lappia House Design Centre at 7 p.m.
Tickets: 20e / 10e, under 18 years old free

EXTRA The Magic of Lapland series of lectures about Lappish art, Wednesday 22 February

Veli-Pekka Lehtola
 Confrontations of two cultures in Finnish Lapland – images and interpretations of Sámi–Finnish relations
Admission to the lecture with Art Museum ticket or season ticket
6 p.m. Korundi.

EXTRA Theatre performance Defending the Caveman – Martti Suosalo, Wednesday 22nd and Thursday 23rd February

Making its debut in San Francisco in 1991, this Broadway hit, Defending the Caveman, is a superb journey of exploration into the emotions of men and women with stand-up comedy, being both touching and funny at the same time. This widely acclaimed comedy play that has made people laugh and cry now debuts in Rovaniemi. Matti Suosalo, a regular Finnish guy, talks about his feelings.
Korundi Sali Hall, Wednesday 22nd and Thursday 23rd February at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: 25/22 €



EXTRA Young Culture SOUNDS, Friday 24 February
The purpose of the Young Culture event is to offer young artists a forum for demonstrating their skills, as well as providing a dialogue and interaction with other artists regionally and nationally. The performers in the event will receive feedback on their own performance.

During the spring of 2012 there will be regional events arranged nationally, via which the performances will be transmitted to the national event in Turku.
Regional event arranged in Rovaniemi on 24 February
More information: Annemari Arkimo, tel. +358 40 551 1361, annemari.arkimo@rovaniemi.fi  

EXTRA Lentävän Poron improshow, Friday 24 February
These northerner improvisation experts take stage at Café Kauppayhtiö with their comedy. The evening includes occasional emotional moments and sporadic bursts into song.
Friday 24 February at 8 p.m., Kahvila Kauppayhtiö
Tickets 8/5€

FUTURE SHORTS shortfilmclub, Friday 24 February

Rovaniemi is world's northenmost Future short -city. On designweek there is finnish shorthmovies.

Friday 24 February at 9.30 p.m., Cafe Kauppayhtiö
Free admission
www.futureshorts.fi

EXTRA Great Stand-up Tour, Sunday 26 February
Jacke Björklund, Marko Kämäräinen and Joni Koivuniemi.
This evening, the trio only has one mission – to entertain! The jovial combination of three people of different ages and in different life situations will make everyone chuckle!
Sunday 26 February, Korundi House of Culture at 7 p.m., Duration about 2 hours, Tickets 26€/18€
More information: www.suomenstandupclub.fi/

 FOR COMPANIES AND INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS



MAGENTA seminar, Monday 20 February

The opening seminar for the Magenta Project of the Artists’ Association of Lapland.

Monday 20 February at 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Lappia House Design Centre



Intellectual Property Workshop, Tuesday 21 February

A workshop about intellectual property rights aimed at companies, with subjects including e.g. trademark, copyright and design protection issues, and IPR agreements.

Tuesday 21 February at 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Lappia House Design Centre
Design & IPR Workshop, Free admission
Register: www.luovalappi.fi


Arctic Business Forum 2012 – The Future is in the North, Tuesday 21st – Wednesday 22nd February

Northern investments, business opportunities and business development in the Arctic attract enterprises and corporate stakeholders to convene for the third Arctic Business Forum event held in Rovaniemi in February 2012.
Update your knowledge about northern investments and engage in cross-border networking.

Further information and registration: www.arcticbusinessforum.com
Tuesday-Wednesday 21-22 February 2012 Korundi


24hr Design Competition, Wednesday – Thursday, 22-23 February

The 24hr Design Competition 2012 is organised as a joint effort by Rovaniemi and Helsinki. For a whole day and night in February, multidisciplinary design teams work together to create functioning possibilities for street-level enterprises in both towns. The competition teams involve design offices from Rovaniemi and Helsinki, enterprises and design students.
24hr Design Competition, competition starts in Helsinki on Wednesday 22 February 2012, the competition final and proclaiming the winner in Rovaniemi on Thursday 23 February.  

HIGHLIGHT! (main language finnish)
COMPANY DAY at Lappia House, Thursday 23 February

Seminar and Pecha Kucha -evening session
On Thursday 23 February 2012, the afternoon seminar “Business, Trends and Design” with international themes and concrete measures will be arranged for entrepreneurs to shed light on the impacts of design and trends on commercial activity. After the seminar, the evening continues as an evening session, where entrepreneurs can network with other entrepreneurs, experts, designers and investors.

Speakers:
Tuija Seipell, blogist, The Cool Hunter
Ville Heijari, Rovio (Angry Birds)
Satu Mehtälä, CEO, Finatex

Company Day on Thursday 23 February 2012 in the Lappia House Design Centre
Seminar 1 – 5 p.m.
Evening Session, Pecha Kucha, cocktails, 6 – 9 p.m.
Registration to evening session by Monday 20 February: julius.oforsagd@rovaniemi.fi
No register to seminar.

Arctic Design Seminar 24 February
(language english)

Arctic Design Seminar offers a comprehensive demonstration of the fascinating opportunities and challenges that the arctic location, climate and culture pose for design. Internationally renowned key speakers will examine the subject from very different perspectives.
Arctic Design Seminar, Friday 24 February 2012 Lappia House Design Centre
Registration by 20 February: www.ulapland.fi/arcticdesignseminar


Rovaniemi Service JAM, Friday – Sunday, 24–26 February
A weekend of jamming around the design theme for 48 hours. This will be an exciting experience where teams on the global network work together on a single given exercise.
The Jam is intended for everyone, townspeople, experts and companies alike. The Jam begins on Friday and ends on Sunday.
Rovaniemi Design Lounge, Ainonkatu 1
REGISTER for the Rovaniemi event by Friday 17 February 2012:
Tuija Jerndahl, tel. +358 40 484 4421 or tuija.jerndahl@ulapland.fi


FURTHER INFORMATION:
ROVANIEMI REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY LTD

Rovaniemi Design Week
Julius Oförsagd, Producer  
Tel. +358 (0)40 562 5590
julius.oforsagd@rovaniemi.fi
www.facebook.com/rovaniemidesignweek
www.rovaniemidesignweek.fi

Trivia

• Rovaniemi is located on the Arctic Circle (GPS coordinates: +66° 32' 37.11", +25° 50' 51.44)
• Rovaniemi is the only place in the world where you can meet Santa Claus 365 days a year.
• Rovaniemi is the administrative capital of Lapland, home to more reindeer than people.
• After being almost completely destroyed in the Lapland War, the reconstruction of Rovaniemi was led by world-renowned architect Alvar Aalto. Designed by Alvar Aalto, the Rovaniemi street plan has received wide acclaim due to the form it takes on the map: resembling reindeer antlers.
• The coldness of winter, twilight and silence not only attract tourism to Rovaniemi, but also new commercial innovations along with specialised research into arctic and winter technologies. For instance, Rovaniemi has long been a winter testing ground for car manufacturers.
• The town has a number of snow and ice restaurants that each winter act as wedding venues for dozens of couples from all over the world.
  www.visitrovaniemi.fi