Four-day party bids farewell to "Makasiinit"
Demolition of railway storehouses marks an end of an era and leaves many Helsinki cultural events without a home
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by Jarkko Jokelainen
There they still stand, but the end is near.
The large halls of the old railway storehouses ("Makasiinit") on Töölönlahti bay were emptied at the beginning of the year, and are scheduled to be torn down in May. The construction of a new music centre will begin soon thereafter.
It is possible to enjoy the last remnants of the funky atmosphere of Töölönlahti at the farewell party of Studio Magito, beginning today and lasting until Wednesday. The programme is varied and open, which is typical of the location.
"We decided to keep the doors open to the people of Helsinki", says Ossi Kajas, who has worked at Makasiinit for 15 years. "We have a photo exhibition, video footage from the storehouses, music, theatre performances, and a small flea market."
All that and much more has been seen at the storehouses since the early 1990's, when the buildings became a cultural venue.
The buildings are best known for their flea markets, but they also functioned as a cultural centre, with concerts, clubs, exhibitions, theatre, and other urban events.
Festivals, such as Tuska Open Air, Maailma kylässä (World Village), the Can You Festival, and a cartoon festival, have also been held at the storehouses.
The closing of the concert halls meant the disappearance of a vast amount of cultural space. The two larger halls had a capacity of 1,000 each, in addition two smaller stages.
The full capacity of the buildings and the outdoor areas made it possible to hold open-air concerts for as many as 7,000 spectators.
Many events have now been left homeless.
The Rock'n'Roll Station club closed its doors on New Year's Eve.
"The ending of the club was extremely unfortunate", Lasse Hela of Leningrad Cowboys Ltd. laments.
"The venue was good and nothing of the sort can be found anywhere else in Finland. When people from abroad came to visit, they said that this was exactly what a rock club was supposed to look like."
During the past few years the building has also served as a venue for the Brazilian music club Clube Brasil, and the rock-oriented Konnari-klubi, not to mention the innumerable one-time events.
"A new place like this has obviously not been found", says proprietor of Clube Brasil, Kari Rinko. "The club will keep going on a smaller scale at the restaurant Eatz, but we are constantly on the lookout for alternatives."
The location of Makasiinit allowed for a different kind of atmosphere. It was easy to create a Brazilian, slightly Spartan and exotic atmosphere. The disco environment of restaurants does not work nearly as well."
The Flow music festival, which is part of the Helsinki Festival, has also been held at the storehouses until now.
A similar venue has not been found, so next summer's festival will have to be split into an outdoor day concert and an indoor evening concert.
"It was possible to use multiple stages, and the courtyard could be used in the evening as well. The problem in Helsinki is that outdoor venues cannot be used late in the evening", says festival organiser Tuomas Kallio.
"The location and ambience of the building are so good that finding anything similar will be impossible. Of course the poor condition of the building brought its own challenges towards the end."
The storehouses' days are soon numbered, but the need for a similar multicultural arena has not gone away.
"Basically we need something quite similar to the storehouses", says Lasse Hela. "The lack of such a place is a major headache at the moment."
"We need something other than huge shopping malls...", says Ossi Kajas wistfully. "...an open living room where people can spend time together. A positive side of Makasiinit was that practically anyone could arrange an event there."
"There would be great demand for a venue that is larger than, say, the Tavastia Club, but smaller than an ice arena", Tuomas Kallio states.
The City of Helsinki has no plans for opening a similar building.
"The Makasiinit were born as a result of inspired and creative civic activity", notes Pekka Timonen, head of cutural affairs at the City of Helsinki. "That is the dynamo that gets projects like this started."
He adds that a similar place would be a vital factor for an interesting and diverse cityscape.
"If something like it were to emerge somewhere, the city would be glad to lend a hand. We supported the storehouses and, for example, in 2000, when Helsinki was a European Cultural Capital, we arranged many events there.
Potential locations for a new cultural hub include the storehouses of Jätkäsaari, the Hietalahti shipyard, the Vallila storehouses, and the Kalasatama ("fish harbour") area, Timonen says.
"An interesting question is, where such a place could be established, or where such a place is already starting to emerge. It is vital for this kind of unregulated activity that the use of the space should be reasonably priced, and that you do not need to worry every time you drill a hole in the wall."
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 26.3.2006
There they still stand, but the end is near.
The large halls of the old railway storehouses ("Makasiinit") on Töölönlahti bay were emptied at the beginning of the year, and are scheduled to be torn down in May. The construction of a new music centre will begin soon thereafter.
It is possible to enjoy the last remnants of the funky atmosphere of Töölönlahti at the farewell party of Studio Magito, beginning today and lasting until Wednesday. The programme is varied and open, which is typical of the location.
"We decided to keep the doors open to the people of Helsinki", says Ossi Kajas, who has worked at Makasiinit for 15 years. "We have a photo exhibition, video footage from the storehouses, music, theatre performances, and a small flea market."
All that and much more has been seen at the storehouses since the early 1990's, when the buildings became a cultural venue.
The buildings are best known for their flea markets, but they also functioned as a cultural centre, with concerts, clubs, exhibitions, theatre, and other urban events.
Festivals, such as Tuska Open Air, Maailma kylässä (World Village), the Can You Festival, and a cartoon festival, have also been held at the storehouses.
The closing of the concert halls meant the disappearance of a vast amount of cultural space. The two larger halls had a capacity of 1,000 each, in addition two smaller stages.
The full capacity of the buildings and the outdoor areas made it possible to hold open-air concerts for as many as 7,000 spectators.
Many events have now been left homeless.
The Rock'n'Roll Station club closed its doors on New Year's Eve.
"The ending of the club was extremely unfortunate", Lasse Hela of Leningrad Cowboys Ltd. laments.
"The venue was good and nothing of the sort can be found anywhere else in Finland. When people from abroad came to visit, they said that this was exactly what a rock club was supposed to look like."
During the past few years the building has also served as a venue for the Brazilian music club Clube Brasil, and the rock-oriented Konnari-klubi, not to mention the innumerable one-time events.
"A new place like this has obviously not been found", says proprietor of Clube Brasil, Kari Rinko. "The club will keep going on a smaller scale at the restaurant Eatz, but we are constantly on the lookout for alternatives."
The location of Makasiinit allowed for a different kind of atmosphere. It was easy to create a Brazilian, slightly Spartan and exotic atmosphere. The disco environment of restaurants does not work nearly as well."
The Flow music festival, which is part of the Helsinki Festival, has also been held at the storehouses until now.
A similar venue has not been found, so next summer's festival will have to be split into an outdoor day concert and an indoor evening concert.
"It was possible to use multiple stages, and the courtyard could be used in the evening as well. The problem in Helsinki is that outdoor venues cannot be used late in the evening", says festival organiser Tuomas Kallio.
"The location and ambience of the building are so good that finding anything similar will be impossible. Of course the poor condition of the building brought its own challenges towards the end."
The storehouses' days are soon numbered, but the need for a similar multicultural arena has not gone away.
"Basically we need something quite similar to the storehouses", says Lasse Hela. "The lack of such a place is a major headache at the moment."
"We need something other than huge shopping malls...", says Ossi Kajas wistfully. "...an open living room where people can spend time together. A positive side of Makasiinit was that practically anyone could arrange an event there."
"There would be great demand for a venue that is larger than, say, the Tavastia Club, but smaller than an ice arena", Tuomas Kallio states.
The City of Helsinki has no plans for opening a similar building.
"The Makasiinit were born as a result of inspired and creative civic activity", notes Pekka Timonen, head of cutural affairs at the City of Helsinki. "That is the dynamo that gets projects like this started."
He adds that a similar place would be a vital factor for an interesting and diverse cityscape.
"If something like it were to emerge somewhere, the city would be glad to lend a hand. We supported the storehouses and, for example, in 2000, when Helsinki was a European Cultural Capital, we arranged many events there.
Potential locations for a new cultural hub include the storehouses of Jätkäsaari, the Hietalahti shipyard, the Vallila storehouses, and the Kalasatama ("fish harbour") area, Timonen says.
"An interesting question is, where such a place could be established, or where such a place is already starting to emerge. It is vital for this kind of unregulated activity that the use of the space should be reasonably priced, and that you do not need to worry every time you drill a hole in the wall."
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 26.3.2006
JARKKO JOKELAINEN / Helsingin Sanomat
jarkko.jokelainen@hs.fi