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If you walk around in Helsinki, you may realize that Art Nouveau has a great influence on the architecture.

My favourite building in Helsinki is the Pohjola Insurance Building designed by Eliel Saarinen and built in 1901.



But what is Art Nouveau?
Art Nouveau, also known as Jugendstil (German for 'youth style'), is an international movement and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that peaked in popularity at the turn of the 20th century (1890–1905).



A reaction to academic art of the 19th century, it is characterized by organic, especially floral and other plant-inspired motifs, as well as highly-stylized, flowing curvilinear forms.

Art Nouveau is an approach to design according to which artists should work on everything from architecture to furniture, making art part of everyday life.



Click here to read more about Art Nouveau

Source: Wikipedia
GNU Free Documentation License

Walking around last weekend with our dog I found out what for non-Nordic people is a maximum curiosity. Igloo building still remains as a survival method for intrepid trekkers, mostly off touristic areas, because of course this doesn't mean normal people lives actually on this structures.

At the west bank of Helsinki's bay the Tapiola quarter emerges with one of the very firsts shopping centers opened on the 70's. It seems they are trying to attract more customers to this really old fashioned mall, and this weekend the main attraction was some "ice performances". Including ice sculpting, on the picture what the artist intended to create was a swan.

But the most intriguing thing was, so far, how to build an igloo. I always thought that you were suppose to cut the ice on big bricks and then put them one after another on the appropriate way to shape the curve structure. Totally wrong. I shot a video (unfortunately this blog doesn't allow to upload it ) that illustrates better how they use that kind of pivot - centrally anchored - and with the "brick builder" on the other side, where you should put some compacted snow. As it goes circling the house begins to get its characteristic shape, such easy!

Experts on the snow building art, Finns are famous for being able to build all kind of ice structures, from simple houses to the worldwide famous Ice Pubs and Ice Hotels. Recently even I heard about someone who managed to build another ...