Helsinki, capital of Finland, is a small vibrant city of nearly 600,000 people. In 2006, the city was voted the sixth most livable city in the world. The city's northern position makes winter days extremely short and nights long--the Sauna, and walking on the frozen sea are reoccurring themes in Finnish culture. However, for many months in the summer the sun never sets. The Night of the arts (Taiteiden yö) is an annual event held in different Finnish cities in late August. A counter event grew up in Helsinki called Katutaiteiden yö ("Street arts night") which focusses on graffiti. A strict anti-graffiti law is enforced through street video surveillance. Thus, one of the things newcomers to the city may notice is its pristine architectural surfaces, almost completely devoid of graffiti. Indeed, the nineteenth century architect and town planner C. L. Engel created several neo-classical buildings at the heart of the city centre. This later gave it the epithet The White City Of The North.

Home to Nokia, Helsinki boasts a robust design (Marimekko!) and media arts community with numerous film and cultural festivals, on-going international exhibitions and events, dynamic arts organizations and acclaimed artists. The Kiasma Art Museum is a central cultural institution that has supported a diversity of on-going activities for the cultural community.The city houses many Universities that support innovative interdisciplinary cultural research, among them: the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts, the Helsinki University of Art and Design and Helsinki University of Technology are central.

Helsinki's coastal position on the Baltic sea makes it suitable for various translocal exchanges (industrial, touristic or artistic) with other cities in the Baltic region. The city has hosted numerous urban and art experiments which the Visible City Project examines. It is worth noting that Helsinki is home to the largest Complaints Choir in the world.

Helsinki South Harbour and surroundings by webcam — Virtual Finland