The Kasper Stromman Design Blog

A year in the life of a Helsinki street

The beginning of a new year is traditionally the time for introspection and looking back on the year that was. And also more more than often it is about making a list of the best “long play records” that was released that year.

But that’s of course not how we roll here at the Kasper Stromman Design Blog. Instead we asked a street how it felt about last year. 

January 2012
“Look, I’m a simple street okay? Nothing special, just your ordinary, quiet side street. That said I do like when someone brings a skip along. We get some action around here with all the rummaging and whatnot. Did you know someone spilt old paint all over their winter jacket trying to salvage some shit from it? Ha ha. That was funny.” 

February 2012
”Yeah, January was a riot with the skip, but then in February someone brought three more along, and that sort of took the edge away from it. February has never been my favourite month anyway. Dicks.”

March 2012
“Oh yeah, forgot to tell you they totally put up signs against parking last month, so that was a bit special. Hasn’t actually happened since 1963. That’s coincidentally also the year a horse took a shit on me. Hasn’t happened since. No, really.”

April 2012
“Okay, wow, wanna take it easy on the heavy machinery already? I miss the snow. I know, I’m such a nostalgic. But it does cover up the potholes and my wrinky, crackly surface. Seriously, I never look my best at springtime.”

May
”OH MY GOD! WHAT ARE THEY DOING? PLEASE LOOK AWAY, I DON’T WANT YOU TO SEE ME LIKE THIS!”

June 2012
“You see what I have to go through? Would you like it if you had open heart surgery and people stopped to gawk at you? Exactly. Streets have feelings too, you know.”

July 2012
”I totally did that to those bikes. Ha ha. Don’t ask me how”. 

August 2012
”You know when I feel most alive? Getting a new coating of tarmac on one of those hot August afternoons. Oh mama. Lay it on, brothers. Thick, black and sticky, just the way I like it.” 

September 2012
”You see that little river right there? That came from a single horse. At least it wasn’t solids. Did I tell you that hasn’t happened since 1963?”

October 2012
“So yeah, it’s all quiet for now, but as you can see being a street is not as boring as you might think. And I for one can put up a fight. You know what they call me because of that? Street fighter! Hahahaha!”

November 2012
”Did you know us streets also have our own language – we call it street lingo. Hahaha! Nah man, I’m messing with you. But it is a very hip language, I’m telling you.”

December 2012
”Snow, FINALLY! Covers up my rough patches. Such a relief. But yeah, there you have it, a typical year in my life. It ain’t easy sometimes, but it’s a living. Or as we say out in the street:  street life – it’s the only life I know. Hahahaha!”

Helsinki top 3 unwelcoming architecture

Checking out the Helsinki graffiti scene

Graffiti is often considered vandalism, and is of course a punishable crime. But what not many people realize is that graffiti can also express underlying social and political messages, and is in fact by many considered an artistic genre. We took a stroll around Helsinki to see how Helsinki street artists are expressing themselves these days.

Helsinginkatu
The corner of Helsinginkatu and Fleminginkatu seems to be a real modern day hub for street artists. We wouldn’t be surpised here at the Kasper Stromman Design Blog if we see some of the artists who participated in this graffiti collaberation in one of the more upmarket galleries within a few months or so. Such is the untamed creativity of this piece.

Viipurinkatu
The raw and expressive style of graffiti continues when you move west towards Alppila. Society often shuns these spontaneous outbursts of inspiration, but let us ask you this: would this little house really be as beautiful without this intense street lettering? It would not.

Sturenkatu
“Some people become cops because they want to make the world a better place. Some people become vandals because they want to make the world a better looking place.” Banksy

Itäinen Brahenkatu
But let’s not forget graffiti isn’t solely about beauty – it can also be about getting a message across. And graffiti artist tend to have an eye for seeing things differently. That’s why when this street artist sees a Shell petrol station, he writes “Shell” on it in black marker. Things like these come naturally for the street artist.

Sörnäisten rantatie
Isn’t it funny the way only a graffiti artist can see anything as a blank canvas, even a parked truck? Not everyone could fill this moving easel with creativity – but that’s also the reason why everyone is not cut out to be a street artist.

Helsinki street artists – living by the paint, dying by the fumes.

Helsinki made of wood

Helsinki made of wood is a wooden playset sold by the World Design Capital foundation, which you can use to create important Helsinki landmarks. Here are our favourite buildings.

Citymarket.

Lidl.

Prisma.

ABC petrol station.

Plantagen.

Offshore natural gas pipeline.

Happy creating!

Made in HKI 1700–2012

Helsinki City Museum currently runs an exhibition at Hakasalmen huvila which focuses on stuff designed in Helsinki over the past 300 years. Visiting Hakasalmen huvila is always fun – it’s like goin to a mini-mansion in the middle of town.

Despite, in the current exhibition the curators have done a sterling job in finding old furniture for our viewing pleasure. These are some old chairs and a bed from 1986.

Interestingly enough only three years later in 1989 furniture had evolved into looking completely different. But such is the pace of style. Fast.

We heard the super curators had apparently just finished building the exhibition when the World Design Capital Foundation called and demanded their logo was made bigger. This wish was granted.

The Made in HKI exhibition also displays some great innovations of it’s time. Have you ever wished coffee could be on tap? That was already thought of in the 1950s.

Some innovations like this enamel bucket did not really catch on however, since it was virtually impossible to carry water in. You know what it should be called? The ‘FAIL bucket’. Ha ha.

The exhibition also features some cool lettering. This is what opticians charts used to look like in the days when people wore monocles.  

But after 300 years of manufacturing, which object gets to represent the current height of design evolution at the exhibiton?

Why, the mighty CD tower. Of course.

New T-shirt now available at the Kasper Stromman Design Outlet

Fashion lovers – there’s new apparel available at the Kasper Stromman Design Outlet! This time we have designed a T-shirt for all you Helsinki lovers out there – this is a fine way of showing off your love for this Northern capital.

Remember: You can take this T-shirt out of Helsinki, but not Helsinki out of this T-shirt.

Get it here.

A letter from Bryan

Dear Kasper Stromman Design Blog,

I read that you are looking for a beer sponsor. I myself have a different problem. I am troubled by the behavior of people who travel on the Helsinki metro system. It’s as if going underground encourages everyone to forget their common sense. Example: in anticipation of the train arriving, people line up next to where the train doors will be. However, this makes for a bit of a standoff when the train does arrive and—guess what!—it’s full of people who—guess what again!—want to get off. I don’t like body checking grannies, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do if no one is going to let you off the train.

Are there to the best of your knowledge any public service announcements or other media campaigns that educate people in the ways of sensible subway travel? If not, this sounds like a job for the KSDB. Here’s my offer: I’ll sponsor your beer for a week if you find some creative response to this issue.

-bryan

Dear Bryan,

We here at the Kasper Stromman recognize this problem, but have no instant solution to the problem. However, I hope you don’t mind if we put this out to our design savvy readers? Who knows – there might be a ready solution to this right under our eyes which we just couldn’t think of.

So, readers – if you have any suggestions, please mail them to contact@kasperstromman.com.

Remember, there’s a week’s beer in this. For me.

Love,
Kasper Stromman