Arts & entertainment
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All that glitters in Helsinki
Finnish Jewellery 1600–2009, an impressive exhibition at Helsinki's Design Museum, includes pieces made out of gold, silver, zircon, granite, paper, wood and even mussel shell.
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Rock begins with J
One-third of all Finnish young people are into Japanese pop culture, including music, fashion, cartoons and more.
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Between memory and forgetting
Elina Hirvonen talks about her critically acclaimed novel When I Forgot, which offers a mix of Finnish and American perspectives on September 11, Iraq, Vietnam and the Second World War – and on love.
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Traditional music on the air – and online
A new radio station, Tradio, is offering listeners a chance to hear the best of Finnish traditional music for three weeks, until October 31.
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Levity and gravity in life and jazz
Mikko Innanen (sax) and Kari Ikonen (piano), both touring this autumn, are in groups whose members are spread over several different countries: "Kind of tricky," says Innanen.
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Pippi Longstocking leaps fearlessly into flamenco
Passionate, temperamental, irreverent, acrobatic and playful: Pippi Longstocking and flamenco nuevo meet in a new production by Compañía Kaari Martin.
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Gritty and honest, Handsome Furs roar back into Finland
The music of Montreal's Handsome Furs reflects impressions from all over the world. We catch up with them on their eighth trip to Finland: "Both Finns and Canadians have an appreciation of life in a brutal climate."
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Bad boy of accordion grows up but keeps attitude intact
Accordionist Kimmo Pohjonen pays scant heed to genre boundaries. Current projects include everything from a Kronos Quartet collaboration to Earth Machine Music, in which farm machines form the accompaniment.
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A tale of two countries
Gathering momentum: Singer-songwriter Anna Järvinen’s popularity is soaring in both Sweden, where she lives, and Finland, where she was born.
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Culture Gallery
Culture Gallery is a chic, interactive website that showcases the work of young, exciting Finnish artists and designers.
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Hanoi still rocks
Hanoi Rocks, Finland's glam-rock phenomenon, played eight sold-out farewell concerts in Helsinki.
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Opening opera doors to the public
The Finnish National Opera is thinking outside the box seats to buck the genre's elitist image and bring in new fans.
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What Westerners weren't supposed to see
Finnish Estonian author Sofi Oksanen causes a stir with the subject matter and success of her newest novel.
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Kalevala: the Finnish national epic
The Finnish national epic, the Kalevala, has inspired generations of artists and helped shape the nation's identity.
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Finnish literature today
Finland has a relatively short literary history but boasts a booming modern book scene.
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Four men with harmonicas on the world music market
Until harmonica quartet Sväng hit the world music scene, most people had no idea that harmonicas could sound like this.
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Amoc is rapping the Sámi language onto the map
Amoc, alias Mikkal Morottaja, raps in one the world's most endangered languages: Inari Sámi from Finnish Lapland.
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Tapio Wirkkala
Designer Tapio Wirkkala's artworks can be seen in the world's most esteemed museums – and also in regular Finnish homes.
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The resurrection of Finnish fashion
Finnish clothiers, both newcomers and established brands, continue to make a name for themselves abroad.
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Albert Edelfelt, master of plein air
Albert Edelfelt lived and painted in Paris for more than 15 years, becoming Finland's first cosmopolitan art icon.
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Lovable, instructive canines
Mauri Kunnas and his cast of canine characters succeed in bringing history and literature to life in his children’s books.
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Finlandia by Jean Sibelius
Finlandia forms Jean Sibelius's most famous composition. Read about it and listen to it here.
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OZ jewellery captivates with its clean lines
Welcome to the land of Oz – a jewellery shop run by a goldsmith and a silversmith in downtown Helsinki.
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Eero Saarinen: architect for a new world
A long-awaited exhibition about Finnish American architect Eero Saarinen continues its tour, now in the US.
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Alvar Aalto
The label "functionalism" does not do justice to describing the artistic achievement of architect and designer Alvar Aalto.
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Runeberg's values live on in Saarijärvi
What would J.L. Runeberg’s famous character Paavo of Saarijärvi say if he could see Finland today?
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Signmark does what he wants
The world's first deaf rapper, Signmark raps in sign language, taking a stand on issues that matter.
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Turning trash into treasures
A new generation of Finnish designers recycles used materials into useful new design items.
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Timo Sarpaneva
"People can carry their holidays with them, and rest when they wish," said Timo Sarpaneva, one of the greats of Finnish design.
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The Kanteletar
The Kanteletar’s ancient ballads form a companion work to the Kalevala, Finland’s national epic.
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Published by the Finland Promotion Board.
Produced by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Department for Communications and Culture