FINLAND is well known for its sleek and relatively minimalistic design. Many may think of design simply as something extravagant and available only for the hip and high-flying elite. But what usually goes unnoticed is that design is visible everywhere, in everything man-made.

Every second year, the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID) recognises one city for its accomplishments in utilising design as a tool to improve social, cultural and economic life. In 2012 the World Design Capital will be Helsinki, which has chosen Open Helsinki as its theme – connoting transparency, curiosity, global responsibility and innovation.

AMONG the Michael Bays of this world, it’s fair enough to say that David Fincher stands tall as one of the most innovative and interesting cinema auteurs working in American cinema today. After the early career wobble of Alien³ (1993), Fincher has gone on to create an unparalleled run of high quality efforts, including Se7en (1995), Fight Club (1997) and last year’s The Social Network.

WHEN you come up with a stage name, you’d best find something that personifies who you want to become when parading in front of throngs of adoring fans. For Matti Antero Kristian Fagerholm, “Michael Monroe” seemed to be the perfect fit.

One of the most popular rock artists to have ever come from Finland, Monroe truly personifies the term “rock star”, with his shock of bleached-white hair and rock attire. After Monroe met guitarist Andy McCoy in the late 1970s, the two started the hugely influential rock band Hanoi Rocks. The first album, the brilliantly titled Bangkok Shocks, Saigon Shakes, Hanoi Rocks, saw the band explode onto the scene.

UNTIL 8 January, Taidehalli plays host to the annual Young Artists exhibition, which has been a tradition since 1939. This year’s elimination proved to be as tough as always: out of 436 applicants, only 56 were chosen for display at the exhibition.

Tracing our past to reveal insights concerning the present is nothing new in cinema. In fact, historical events have been mined so thoroughly that one begins to wonder if there are any more stories left to be told. Well, it appears that there are. And so, get ready for your latest dose, as this week’s Hollywood history lesson arrives in the unlikely shape of the vibrator. Yep, you read correctly.

PROVING the old adage that you can’t keep a warty old craggly rocker down for too long, hard-rocking trio Motörhead makes their umpteenth appearance onstage in Helsinki at the Cable Factory on 18 December.

Formed in London in 1975, the band energised the tired metal genre of that era, riding the crest of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal that appeared in the late 1970s and early 1980s with their speed and attitude.

IN CASE you’re getting bored with the miserable Finnish weather and your imagination just isn’t able to stretch itself enough to detach you from the ugly reality – have a think about investing some money on a film ticket that costs little more than lunch. Roosa Toivonen – also known as Rosa Karo – a Finnish writer-director known for her documentaries, has directed her first fictional film, The Italian Key. Karo’s creation will take you to the beauty of Piemonte, Northern Italy, which will surely please your weary eyes.

Pushing their way to the surface to become pioneers of psychedelic trance, Israeli outfit Infected Mushroom hit the stage at The Circus on Friday 16 December.

Forming in Haifa in 1997, the producers Erez Eisen and Amit Duvdevani initially favoured a lighter, more upbeat sound before changing tack. Breaking through with their 1999 hit “The Gathering”, the duo made a name for themselves with their distinct dark, rhythmic style – a sound that really came to the fore with their 2000 release, Classic Mushroom.

The splendours of European culture have been on display in Turku and Tallinn this year in the guises of ballet, opera, street theatre and more. Now the Year of Culture in these two towns is coming to an end, with both putting on a final burst of activity before the curtains close.

While Tallinn has hosted performances of Mary Poppins and Pippi Longstocking, snow sculptures and flower festivals, as well as visits from Sinead O’Connor and Kylie Minogue (not to mention its evergreen Old Town Days) Turku has also featured an equally diverse range of artists. And there are still some events yet to see, both extreme and conventional.

SO, after the news that Chuck Norris, Sly Stallone, Schwarzenegger, Jet Lee, van Damme and Bruce Willis were all squeezing their considerable physiques into frame for next year’s Expendables 2, just what more could fans of the ensemble flick possibly want? Um, yeah okay, maybe something with a fraction less testosterone and monosyllabic dialogue? Fair enough.

Up this week to satiate fans of films where the more is occasionally the merrier, bringing the festive cheer for all and sundry, is the hideously inevitable New Year’s Eve. Somehow this isn’t a sequel – or a remake or a reimaging, as strange as it must seem for a film of such familiarity – but is merely a “fresh” idea arriving off the Hollywood conveyor belt marked “safe and unchallenging”.