Helsinki Curious

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Helsinki Curious

Capturing the essence of Helsinki by people who have never visited.

Only a tiny percentage of people from London, Berlin, and Tokyo have ever visited Helsinki. According to the survey, very few people seem to know much about Helsinki, but an overwhelming majority seem to be curious about it. What if we let our creative audience share our story?

Three artists, three cities, one extraordinary task – to capture the essence of Helsinki in an artwork without ever visiting or even googling the city beforehand.

Three curious artists Aysha Tengiz (London), Jack Sachs (Berlin), and Takashi Nakamura (Tokyo) each created an artwork about Helsinki, based only on their imaginations and the stories heard from people who have visited Helsinki. Online searches, guides, and other visual clues were strictly forbidden. Through interviews and stories, the secrets of the city began to unravel, and the three artworks each picture Helsinki in a unique way challenging the boundaries of imagination.

The artists knew nearly nothing about Helsinki beforehand and the project began with an illustration brief that was something they have never experienced before. Each artist was given a theme to draw from in their illustration. Aysha's theme was the people and values of Helsinki. Jack's work focused on culture and nightlife. Takashi's theme was Helsinki's unique combination of nature and city. The artists' creative processes and relationship with Helsinki were captured in a documentary series. The original style of the documentaries was created by combining different video styles and visual elements with a warm and approachable modern feeling.

Aysha Tengiz, London

Jack Sachs, Berlin

Takashi Nakamura, Tokyo

Helsinki Curious introduced a new way of storytelling in city marketing. The project culminated in an exhibition online and physically in four major global cities. The quirky creative project put Helsinki on the map with the help of social media and PR hype and gathered an earned media reach of 209 Million. The project was awarded in Vuoden Huiput, Finland’s most prominent creative design competition in the category of best outdoor campaign and shortlisted in film category.

PHOTOGRAPHER | Juho Vesanen (Veli Studio)
EDITOR | Jenni Salonen, Juho Vesanen (Veli Studio)
SOUND | Rin Takada (Tokyo), Samuel Thomas (London)
MUSIC | Matti Ahopelto (Tmi Matti Ahopelto)