The Canadian premiere of this exhibition will take place from January 24 to February 10, 2006 at Ryerson University’s School of Interior Design located at 302 Church Street in Toronto. The exhibition will celebrate Helsinki’s contemporary urban architecture in the studios of the School of Interior Design where both “design and process” will be experienced.
Jussi Tiainen has photographed the majority of Helsinki’s significant new buildings, structures and milieus. Approximately 40 of these are displayed with more than 100 photographs in the exhibition Helsinki Contemporary Urban Architecture. Since its opening in 2001, the exhibition has toured extensively. It has been updated frequently so that it always displays the very newest architectural masterpieces of Helsinki.
Tiainen was born in 1954, and started his career as an architectural photographer in the mid-1970s. He has concentrated on Finnish architecture both in Finland and abroad. He also teaches photography at the University of Art and Design Helsinki and has lectured on the subject at many universities globally. Exhibitions of his work have been held in more than 20 countries around the world.
Eero Waronen of the City of Helsinki states: “It is no coincidence that Helsinki is the destination of architectural pilgrimages and a consequence of long-term and persistent policies in city planning. A heritage of good architecture and urban design has prevailed in Helsinki since the times of Eliel Saarinen and Alvar Aalto. But nowadays the scene is even wider, in terms of both new generations of architects and the rapid yet carefully planned development of the city. There is a deep love for architecture and city planning in Helsinki, as well as for top-class modern art, and this is certainly evident in the exhibition Helsinki Contemporary Urban Architecture, photographed by Jussi Tiainen.”
A lecture and panel discussion will take place from 7:00pm to 9:00pm on January 26, 2006 in the Eaton Room of the Rogers Communication Centre of Ryerson University located at 80 Gould Street in Toronto. This event will be moderated by Lisa Rochon, Architectural Critic for the Globe and Mail with panelists Professor Pentti Kareoja, University of Art and Design Helsinki, Professor Kivi Sotamaa of Ohio State University and Kelly Rude, Editor of Canadian Interiors.