Shopping Experience

Photo: Kids Agency Photo: Aatu Heikkonen

Shopping Experience of the Month, Finland Helsinki Outlet: The shopping village that has it all

Situated halfway between Helsinki city centre and Vantaa Airport, Helsinki Outlet is an unmissable, high-quality Finnish shopping destination.

By Silvia Colombo | Photos: Ninni West

Did you know there is a place where you can find the best deals, eat good food and enjoy your time with the whole family? Helsinki Outlet is all that – and more. The outdoor village, strategically located between the heart of the city and its airport, occupies a gigantic plot packed with shops, restaurants and leisure parks. But that’s not all: new brands have recently been added to the already rich shopping selection and an Italian restaurant with a Neapolitan-based menu and an authentic pizza-oven will open in December. Further plans are in the works to enlarge the outlet by some 4,000 square metres, cementing the destination as a must-visit for locals, tourists and businesspeople.

The wide assortment of brands, ranging across Finnish (such as Marimekko and Makia), the Nordics and the US (like Tommy Hilfiger and Levi’s), has established Helsinki Outlet as a hub for hard-to-find international brands and great deals, suitable for all ages and tastes.

The outlet is easily accessible by car and bus, and visitors can grab some food or a cup of coffee and relax in the lounge space, before shopping. On family-trips, the kids will love the Hop Lop – an adventure park and playground featuring a trampoline, climbing spot and a series of slides. Meanwhile, activities are run all year round to keep the little ones entertained.

Helsinki Outlet also has a lot to offer tech-shoppers. Not only is the shopping village well-connected with Wi-Fi, but “this is the second outlet in Europe with an online shop – and it’s still growing,” says Johanna Haltia, the outlet’s CEO. With the Click and Collect service, it’s possible to choose the products online, from the comfort of your own home, then collect everything on site. And regulars, listen up: there is an affiliation programme, called the Helsinki Outlet Friends Club. “We celebrate our loyal customers by organising special openings, VIP shopping nights and exclusive deals,” says Haltia.

www.helsinkioutlet.fi Instagram: @helsinkioutlet Facebook: helsinkioutlet

The future is simplicity.

Delivering a manuscript to the forest

The Future Library: Offering hope in a destabilised world

There is a special forest growing in Norway. Of all the other woodlands on the hills that overlook Oslo, this one has an exceptional purpose. In 100 years, wood from these trees will be used to make paper for a unique collection of books, in an ambitious project called The Future Library.

By Molly McPharlin | Photos: Future Library Trust

The Future Library was the idea of the Scottish artist Katie Paterson. “It began as an idea for a book, but this one actually came off the page and became real,” she says.

It was during a conference in Norway on ‘slow space and time’, that the seeds of Future Library were sown. The conferproject manager and commissioner for many public art ventures throughout the Oslo region.

She asked if Hovind could help arrange for her to stay in a cabin in a forest, to see if she could plan a proposal. “The idea for me was so abstract that I had to surround myself with a Norwegian forest to expand my thinking,” recalls Paterson. “I spent a week there, thinking about what this could actually be. Afterwards, I came back and said: okay, are you ready? It’s going to last 100 years. It’s going to need a forest. It’s going to need a library.”

ence, which took place variously in a forest, on an island and in an allotment yard, was seeking to commission permanent artworks that took an unusual approach. There, in the forest, her idea came to life.

Inspired, Paterson returned home to Berlin and contacted Anne Beate Hovind, who for over 20 years has worked as the

100 years, 100 authors The project is striking in its simplicity. Each year between 2014 and 2114, a different author creates a text that remains unread and unpublished for 100 years. So far, contributors to Future Library include authors like Margaret Atwood, Karl Ove Knausgard, Ocean Vuong and Elif Shafak, giving the project a broad international scope.

Writers are chosen by group decision, by all those involved with the Future Library Trust. “We’ve had authors connected to time, nature and long-term thinking, and it’s grown from there,” Paterson says. “We’re quite strict in that we don’t invite people in advance. We’d like to keep it fresh and related to whatever is happening that particular year.”

A public space and vault dedicated to the project has been established in Oslo’s new main library, Deichman Bjørvika. Similar to the seed vault in Svalbard, Norway, that preserves seeds for future food supplies, this one protects literature for generations to come.

People can go and sit with the manuscripts that are stored in glass within the wooden interior of the vault. They won’t be able to read them, but they can contemplate what they will mean for readers in a future world. As the years pass and the number of texts grows, the forest will continue to be cared for and preserved, ensuring its survival for the publication of the works.

Hope for the future Hovind, who now acts as chair of the Future Library Trust, believes the Future Library has become meaningful to many people because of its sense of hope. “It gives hope that we can actually do something extraordinary, that we can plan projects that will last 100 years, and trust they will succeed. People long for hope and trust, in my experience,” she says.

While the idea of hope was not foremost in her visualisation of the project, Paterson now too sees its importance in a world that feels increasingly destabilised. “Right at the beginning, I was thinking of the materiality of books and digital reading and those kinds of ideas. Fast forward to now and the questions are about the extinction of the human race. That seems to be an enormous shift. Future Library is hopeful in that its success relies on future generations. There are people involved in this project who aren’t born yet, and planting trees is in itself a hopeful act.”

Every year, a new manuscript is delivered to the Future Library in a ceremony that takes place in the forest whose wood will be used to make the books. “Each year at the handover, the forester gives a speech on how the trees are faring that year, and what’s developed in the forest. This year he used this phrase: ‘the roots have formed’,” says Paterson. “The trees have literally rooted themselves. That made it feel very permanent. The project is about quite simple things – rituals, nature and thinking ahead. Those are elements people connect with because they’re deep human needs.”

“A real act, loaded with metaphor” The Icelandic writer Sjòn was the Future Library author in 2017. He also sees the project as a hopeful act, not only for the world, but for the authors themselves. “One of the great things about this is it’s a multi-generational project. It’s not only about the here and now. You are promised a moment in the future. All authors hope for that. It recognises that literature is something that happens over time and literature is a collective effort. I could really sense it when I handed over my manuscript, and realised I was walking in the footsteps of Margaret Atwood and David Mitchell, and that the next author would be walking in the footsteps of all three of us.”

“This is a real act loaded with metaphor for how literature is created, how authors interact with those who go before them and those who follow. There’s hope in this because there’s hope that there will be authors. And there’s hope that those authors will produce work, and that that work will have readers.”

www.futurelibrary.no

Margaret Atwood on Future Library Handover Day, 2015. Photo: Bjørvika Utvikling by Kristin von Hirsch A reading in the Future Library forest. Photo: Bjørvika Utvikling by Kristin von Hirsch

December’s new Scandi music releases

By Karl Batterbee

Faroese newcomer Tamara is out with her latest sound offering – new single I Should Have Known Better. It’s a futuristic R&B jam that briefly switches gears and throws it back – treating us to a full Y2K breakdown mid-song! That element will be very much appreciated by certain folk of a certain age. This is the singer-songwriter’s second single, after debuting with Solo Crowd earlier in 2022.

Danish outfit Gorgeous have just gone and dropped their third single. On new release Nothing Was Perfect, the duo sink blissfully into a lush soundscape of retro-toned references, from folk and indie to synth and pop. There’s a lot to unearth on each listen, and there’s a lot to love too.

Deploying the catchiest of guitar riffs and pairing it with a dance beat that POPS – Swedish artist KIDDO has crafted one of her finest tunes to date on her banging new single Who’s That Girl. She’s mostly been writing and featuring on dance tracks for other artists recently, but she’s clearly kept a unique sprinkling of magic aside for her own stuff.

Two songwriters and producers from Sweden – Elsa Levahn and Stella Ringdahl – make up the fresh pop duo Grandi. They’re the first act signed to Laleh’s PALANG label, and the music icon has even given them an extra hand with the composition of their insanely catchy new song Bitchcraft. This one is – as the title might well have alluded to –a hell of a lot of fun to listen to.

The Icelandic trio Systur are currently touring their latest release, following on from representing their country at the Eurovision Song Contest in May. New hit Goodbye is a tender ballad that’s awash with haunting melancholy, and further elevated by a beautiful melody that’s been brought to life by their sibling harmonies.

www.scandipop.co.uk

Monthly Illustration Jesus loved a comfy seat

Rain, damp, cold floors in the morning – it’s UK winter again. I don’t know if I signed up for that. At least in Sweden there is a possibility of a few weeks of snow, some good old sleighing, frost and northern lights. In the UK, you just get by on thicker curtains and more booze.

Lucia might just be my favourite tradition. It isn’t as stressful as Christmas (cooking the ham, family tensions, expensive gifts), and not a let-down like New Year’s Eve (must have fun dressed up in uncomfortable, glittery clothes and think of earnest New Year’s resolutions). Lucia is just about lovely candles and beautiful songs, with some gingerbread thrown in. At least, it is if you ignore the martyrdom and all that.

The Scandi interpretation of Lucia is very visually satisfying, and the bit about giving up your life and riches for the poor is remarkably absent, which is a relief, really, since that would involve sacrifice. No, Lucia is the time in which we wind down before Christmas. We close the door, sink into the sofa and enjoy being wealthy and safe - just as Lucia would have done. And Jesus, too. I heard he loved a comfy seat, a pint of baileys and thick curtains to hide the misery outside the window. A few years ago, my sister-in-law did this brilliant thing with her kids: a reverse advent calendar. Every morning, when they opened their chocolate calendars, they also picked something from the food cupboard and put it in a big box that they decorated together. On the 24th they delivered it to their local food bank. Perhaps, if we all taught our kids that this is how to celebrate advent, the state of the world would be different. And Christmas might feel slightly more authentic.

By Gabi Froden

Gabi Froden is a Swedish illustrator and writer, living in Glasgow with her husband and two children. Her children’s and YA books are published in Sweden by Bonnier Carlsen and Natur&Kultur. www.gabifroden.com

Scandinavian Culture Calendar

–Where to go, what to see? It’s all happening here!

By Hanna Heiskanen

Snö (14 to 18 December) Snö, meaning snow in English, is a dance and puppet performance for over fouryear-olds by Dockteatern Tittut. The show has been inspired by Sámi culture and its many expressions for the word snow. Featuring bears, reindeer and other Northern creatures, the show has been selected for the 2022 BIBU – the bienniale for performing arts for children and youth. Lundagatan 33, Stockholm www.dockteaterntittut.se

Christmas at Copenhagen Tivoli (until 31 December) The Tivoli amusement park in the centre of the Danish capital is always well worth a visit, but at Christmas it’s especially magical. In addition to the rides, check out light projections, The Nutcracker ballet at Tivoli Concert Hall (with costumes by Queen Margrethe II) and, of course, Santa. Vesterbrogade 3, Copenhagen www.tivoli.dk

Gingerbread House 2022 (until 8 January 2023) If you’re looking for inspiration for your Christmas table, look no further than this cracking gingerbread house exhibition at ArkDes, Sweden’s national centre for architecture and design. This is not only an exhibition but a competition with separate categories for children, amateurs and professionals. The theme for 2022 is ‘Around the Corner’. Exercisplan 4, Stockholm www.arkdes.se

Winter Circus Joy takes over Dance House Helsinki. Photo: Joona Pettersson Grayson Perry: Selfie with Political Causes (2018). Photo: Courtesy the artist, Paragon Contemporary Editions Ltd and Victoria Miro

Utagawa Kunisada [Toyokuni III] (1786–1864): Actors Nakamura Tomijūrō II, Onoe Baikō and Inchikawa Danjūrō VIII in the Play “Umeyanagi Sakigake Soshi” (“The Tale of the Early Flowering Plum Trees and Willows”). Photo: Finnish National Gallery / Jenni Nurminen

Christmas at Tivoli. Photo:Tivoli Gardens Grayson Perry – Fitting In and Standing Out (until 26 March 2023) Up to your ears in tinsel and looking for something a little different? British contemporary artist and Turner Prize winner Grayson Perry never fails to surprise and entertain. Fitting In and Standing Out offers a sweeping view of his art from the 1980s to the present, from ceramics to sculpture, and from print to embroidery. The themes include identity, gender and consumerism. Riddargatan 13, Stockholm www.sfhm.se

Under the Cherry Blossom –Japanese Woodblock Prints (until 15 January 2023) When the winter is at its darkest, you need a bit of cherry blossom in your life. This exhibition at the Sinebrychoff Art Museum presents more than 140 Japanese woodblock prints from the 17th through to the 19th century, including works by Hokusai, and will feel like a holiday abroad with none of the CO2 emissions. While at the museum, check out their permanent exhibition on the Sinebrychoff family. Bulevardi 40, Helsinki www.sinebrychoffintaidemuseo.fi Winter Circus Joy (5 December to 21 January 2023) Christmas time equals another edition of Hurjaruuth’s Winter Circus Joy, a show for children and adults alike. Performed for the first time this year at the new Dance House Helsinki, the show has been choreographed by the renowned Kenneth Kvarnström. Taking over the stage will be top performers from around the world, including pole dancer Yvonne Smink. Tallberginkatu 1/117, Helsinki www.hurjaruuth.fi

Snö is all about snow in all its forms. Photo: Jonas Jörneberg

FOR EVERY MOMENT

Sustainable bags made to last

Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849): Thundershower beneath the Summit, from the series Thirty-six Views of Fuji. Photo: Finnish National Gallery / Jenni Nurminen

Scan Magazine Issue 149 December 2022

Published 12.2022 ISSN 1757-9589

Published by Scan Client Publishing

Print H2 Print

Executive Editor Thomas Winther

Creative Director Mads E. Petersen

Editor Lena Hunter

Copy-editor Karl Batterbee Graphic Designer Mercedes Moulia

Cover Photo Luke & Nik

Contributors Alejandra Cerda Ojensa Andri Papanicolas Celina Tran Emma Rodin Ester Laiho Eva-Kristin Urestad Pedersen Gabi Froden Hanna Andersson Hanna Heiskanen Hanna Margrethe Enger John Sempill Karl Batterbee Lotta Lassesson Malin Norman Maria Vole Marie Westerman Roberts Miriam Gradel Molly McPharlin Ndéla Faye Nina Bressler Philip Denvir Rune Nyland Sanna Halmekoski Silvia Colombo Synne Johnsson Trine Jensen-Martin Xander Brett Åsa Hedvig Aaberge

Sales & Key Account Managers Emma Fabritius Nørregaard Johan Enelycke Veronica Rafteseth

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