“Snowhenge”, vegan fine dining and the end to waste

Susanna Mälkki strikes a chord. The chief conductor of Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra was mentioned by Forbes in its 50 Over 50 EMEA list highlighting women leading the way throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa. According to the magazine, Mälkki is rumoured to become the New York Philharmonic’s first female music director. (Photo: Stefan Bremer)

From a disused railway line to bayside hills, Helsinki offers something for all rollerskating enthusiasts. In particular, the Finnish capital’s coastal routes have made an impression on National Geographic, which chose the city among its best rollerskating destinations in Europe. (Photo: Lauri Rotko / Helsinki Marketing)

In 2016, Finland became the first country to adopt a national roadmap to a circular economy. The Time magazine looked into the country’s plan to end waste by 2050 and found education – starting at nursery – firmly at its heart. (Photo: Business Finland)

Visit the Snowhenge before it melts. Finnish light artist Kari Kola and ice sculptors Anssi Kuosu and Lkhagvadorj “George” Dorjsure have created a replica of Stonehenge entirely out of snow and ice. With the project, Kola wants to “inspire other artists to keep creating beautiful projects all over the planet”, writes the Clonehenge blog. (Photo: Joensuun Botania)

Ervin Latimer has taken the world’s largest menswear tradeshow, Pitti Uomo, by storm. The New York Times describes Latimer’s American drag culture-inspired debut as a “raucous, gender-ambivalent throwdown”. Latimer, Finland’s Young Designer of 2020, brought his alter ego, Anna Kondo, a posse of friends and a show of “slashed, spliced and supersize suit jackets or trousers” to the Florence-based event. (Photo: Aleksi Niemelä)

Two Finnish projects have been shortlisted for the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture. Tikkurila Church and Housing and the Helsinki Olympic Stadium Refurbishment and Extension were chosen by an international jury to compete for the biannual prize, titled Mies van der Rohe Award, together with 38 other architectural projects. The winner will be announced in mid-April. Read more on Dezeen. (Photo: Tuomas Uusheimo)

A film shot on an old Nokia phone gets its premiere at the Rotterdam Film Festival. The film, Nobody Meets Your Eye, was shot by Finnish director Jesse Jalonen over four years. It mixes documentary and fiction in telling “a sensitive story about fundamental loneliness and the comfort of connection”. Aalto University website has written about the film. (Photo: Facebook / Nobody Meets your Eyes)

“A pink gin like no other,” is The Sun’s verdict on Kyrö Pink Gin. The paper recommends the Finnish gin, which uses local lingonberries, strawberries, rhubarb and liquorice, for anyone who enjoys savoury, complex flavours. (Photo: Kyrö Distillery)

Restaurant Grön offers vegan dining at its finest. Thanks to “top-notch Scandinavian, organic plant-based produce”, the Helsinki restaurant made it onto National Geographic’s list of the best vegan fine dining restaurants in Europe. (Photo: Paju~commonswiki CC BY SA 3.0)

DocPoint, Finland’s biggest documentary film festival, has announced a roster of 63 films for this year’s event. It will be organised online, with films available from 31 January to 6 February 2022. The festival’s one real-world happening is its opening event, a free outdoor screening of Susanna Helke’s new film Ruthless Times – Songs of Care. The darkly humorous musical documentary highlights women working in public care who sing songs about their everyday experiences. Read more on DocPoint’s website. (Photo: DocPoint)