SMALL LUXURY HOTELS OF THE WORLD BRAND ARRIVING IN FINLAND

Royal Restaurants has signed an agreement with the Small Luxury Hotels of the World brand concerning the Hotel Haven that will be completed in early 2009 at the address Unioninkatu 17; the hotel will be their first hotel in Finland.

According to the annual Luxury Brand Status Index survey carried out by New York-based Luxury Institute, SLH was named as the world’s leading luxury hotel brand, surpassing such traditionally respected brand as, among others, Ritz-Carlton and Peninsula.

According to Royal Restaurants, SLH’s slogan "Caring Luxury" sums up what the Hotel Haven offers its guests. First class service is backed up by high-quality ancillary services. Additionally, conference services, three meeting rooms and an auditorium facilitate the arrangement of meetings for 120 persons in connection with the hotel.

Flow08 line up released

Flow Festival, organised as part of the Helsinki Festival in Helsinki's Suvilahti on 15-17 August, brings together a wide array of internationally acclaimed artists. In addition, the event now presents an area three times larger as that of previous year's.

During its four years of existence Flow Festival, organised by the Nuspirit Helsinki collective, has succesfully showcased top-notch music from jazz to soul, indie to electro, techno to boogie and electronic to organic.

All in all Flow Festival presents 62 acts on 4 different stages during three days.

More info about the artists and Flow08 at: www.flowfestival.com

Futuristic living; Sanjhih vs. Futuro

One of the most impressive Flickr photo set that I have seen in a while; An haunted abandon resort in Sanjhih (Taiwan) reminds me of the Futuro House, the futuristic plastic house designed by Finnish architect Matti Suuronen in 1968.

Sanjhih resort reminds me also of the Le Palais Bulles (France), another utopistic creation by Finnish architect Antti Lovag.

More info:
Wikipedia (Futuro)

Habbo: One of the World's most valuable Digital StartUps

Silicon Alley Insider (SAI 25) ranks and values some of the world's leading private digital companies (not all, but some). It has ranked Finnish Habbo the 9th most promising digital startup in World (valuation 1,25 billion USD). Habbo Hotel is known among youngsters worldwide.

The success has raised scam sites like Gabbo Hotel, Habbi Hotel. Sulake is taking serious actions against scam site owners.
But who is scamming who?

The Finnish Film archieve presents: Coen brothers movies 2.5.-15.8.

Have you seen the Oscar award winner (Best Motion Picture of the Year): No Country for Old Men?
It's directed by the Coen brothers. The Finnish Film archieve presents most of the Coen brothers movies during this summer: Blood Simple (Sundance Film Festival 1985: Grand Jury Prize), Miller's Crossing (1990), Barton Fink (Cannes film festival 1991: Best director & Golden Palm), The Hudsucker Proxy (1994), The Big Lebowski (1998), The Man Who Wasn't There (Cannes film festival 2001: Best Director).


Screenings:

ARIZONA BABY (Raising Arizona) 6.5., 9.5.
BARTON FINK 20.5., 23.5.
BIG LEBOWSKI (The Big Lebowski) 10.6., 13.6.
BLOOD SIMPLE 2.5., 3.5.
FARGO 3.6., 6.6.
LADYKILLERS (The Ladykillers) 8.8.
MIES JOKA EI OLLUT SIELLÄ (The Man Who Wasn't There) 13.8., 15.8.
SIETÄMÄTÖNTÄ JULMUUTTA (Intolerable Cruelty) 5.8.
VAARALLISTA PELIÄ (Miller's Crossing) 14.5., 17.5.
VALTAPELI (The Hudsucker Proxy) 28.5., 31.5.
VOI VELJET, MISSÄ LIENET? (O Brother, Where Art Thou?) 18.6., 22.6.

Showroom Finland

Showroom Finland is a Helsinki based company marketing Scandinavian design products.

More:
http://www.showroomfinland.fi/

Address:
Pohjoisranta 2 E, Helsinki

Recycling factory 3.-4.5.2008

This special recycling event includes a swap shop market, products made from recycled materials, information from environmental and recycling organisations, workshops, shows, exhibitions, and sales of organic and fair trade products.

Place: Cable factory, Helsinki
More: www.kierratystehdas.fi

Helsinki in Berlin: 50 Finnish artists coming to Berlin in April 2008!

Berlin has been the capital of something or other for 400 odd years now: from the Kingdom of Prussia to the German Empire. This spring, Berlin will also be the capital of Finnish music. "Helsinki in Berlin" is an unprecedented push to get quality Finnish music the kind of attention it deserves. Check out the dates and venues for 50 different acts: http://www.myspace.com/helsinkiinberlin

100% Finlande

100% Finlande, a cultural season presenting Finnish culture in France opened in the beginning of April. Similar cultural seasons, presenting different countries, have been organized in France for almost twenty years now. They are based on agreements made on governmental level. The 100 % Finlande season brings during three months altogether 250 Finnish events and 500 Finnish artists to France.

With 7 million euros budget the producers of the 100% Finlande have managed to create massive events around the France. Especially take a look at their official blog and 100% Finlande site:

http://www.100pour100finlande.fr/
http://www.100pour100finlande.fr/-Blog-.html

Sensor instruments: wave your hands

New group UNI formed.

The combination of acoustic instruments, analog keyboards, computer based digital electronics, synchronized visual elements and new sensor instruments makes this group a unique enterprise in the musical scene. All the members are experienced and praised long term professionals that have been involved in most of the existing music genres.

The music of UNI is influenced by many different types of styles. Jazz improvisations, world music flavors, contemporary experiments and electronic sound worlds put together form an exceptional mixture.