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News • Helsinki • Finland • 2011-12-14

WDC Helsinki 2012 will be launched during the New Year ceremony at Senate Square

The traditional New Year celebrations at Helsinki City Senate Square will launch the World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 year. WDC Helsinki 2012 will bring to the evening an extensive light and video show as well as a New Year resolution in the words of a young Finnish designer.

During the evening a special feature will be when Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, Kauniainen and Lahti will officially accept their joint hosting of the World Design Capital 2012. Hosting of the World Design Capital year will be handed over by President Soon-In Lee of Icsid, International Council of Societies of Industrial Design.

The entire event will focus on the way ahead. A special bar will be opened where people can make their own New Year resolutions and where hot chocolate will also be served. The ’resolutions bar’ will open at 22:00, and this will also indicate the commencement of the joyous celebrations in Senate Square.

The Senate Square will be lit up by the light and video show jointly produced by Mural Media and Agent Pekka. The Council of State and University buildings surrounding Senate Square will be given a new look for the entire evening. The turn of the year will culminate in a video presentation called Ylistys Helsingille (Praise to Helsinki), which uses a 3D architectural mapping technique, emblazoning Helsinki Cathedral with light. The illustrators of the installation from Agent Pekka are Antti Uotila, Eero Johannes, Janine Rewell and Santtu Mustonen.

The evening will be hosted by Helsinki Mayor Jussi Pajunen and will, as usual, feature various musical performances. The Out’n loud choir, AiA band, Step Up Dancers, beatboxer Felix Zenger and the king of all tango kings Jari Sillanpää will be there to take the stage. The evening will be presented by Baba Lybeck and Axl Smith. Designer Antti Asplund is in charge of the performers’ costumes.

All of Finland and the rest of the world will be invited to the celebrations via YLE TV1 beginning from 22:55. Apart from this TV broadcast, the evening\'s events can be followed on the Internet through Yle Areena at areena.yle.fi. The Yle Areena broadcast can also be seen abroad. The direct broadcast will end with the ushering in of the New Year as well as fireworks accompanied by inspiring musical arrangements.

As part of the Senate Square New Year celebrations, a pre-celebration will be organised at the Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art for families with children. A light derived adventure for the whole family is to be set up in the empty exhibition halls with workshops, shadow puppets, light painting, a dance of shadows as well as a sound and light installation to be discovered along the adventure trail. Admission to this pre-celebration is free to all, and the event will be open between 13:00 and 17:00. The event will be organised by the City of Helsinki and the Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art.

Espoo, Vantaa, Lahti, Kauniainen, Aalto University, Blue 1, BMW, Clear Channel, Deloitte, Finavia – Helsinki Airport, Fjord, Fortum, Hasan & Partners, Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, HOK-Elanto, IBM, Iittala, KONE, Lapin Kulta, Martela, MEE – Ministry of Employment and the Economy, MTV MEDIA, Nokia, OKM Ministry of Education and Culture, Paulig, Rovaniemi, Sanoma Magazines, Stockmann, Svenska Kulturfonden, Turku, University of Helsinki, UPM, Vaasa, Viking Line

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