Finland is a nation of extreme differences. Not only in our seasons and nature, but people as well. To celebrate Finland’s centennial, Visit Finland delves into the nation’s character more vocally than ever before by turning the Finnish genotype into music.

SymphonyofExtremes.com

FINLAND IS A NATION OF EXTREMES.

THE SYMPHONY OF EXTREMES – BORN FROM

FINNISH DNA IS A PROJECT WHERE WE

EXAMINE OUR HERITAGE AND TURN IT INTO

MUSIC THAT REFLECTS THESE EXTREMES.

WHY?Authenticity is currently a major trend in tourism. Travellers are interested in local people and their ways of life. The Symphony of Extremes is crafted to their needs.

Our current age of media spin dictates a need for new ideas that transcend boundaries and attract attention. Ideas that feel genuinely fresh and evocative. The Symphony of Extremes is a project that unites tourism with science and art in a fascinating way.

Finland is at the crossroads of east and west. Our roots straddle the border:

western Finland is influenced by Europe’s ancient agrarian culture and Scandinavian DNA, while the east and north come from an age-old line of hunter-gatherers. Eastern and western Finns resemble each other less than Germans and Brits do. It is a fascinating equation, since Finland is also one of the most uniform, equalitarian and safe nations in the world.

WHAT?The Symphony of Extremes is a project where Eicca Toppinen from Apocalyptica composed a song based on DNA samples sourced from Finland. The genre-crossing song will be premiered on 13 November 2017.

The project’s first phase followed the composition process and introduced a number of interesting people behind the genes. They each exhibit some extreme and distinctively Finnish trait, such as Finnish grit (“sisu”) or a strong bond with the Arctic.

The next stage focuses on the music and its composition. Instead of using generic travel imagery, the project dives deep into Finland’s psyche in order to introduce international audiences to our cultural core. The aim is to illustrate what makes Finland unique – and worth a visit.

The Symphony of Extremes is a captivating true story that turns exceptional ingredients into an international topic.

EASTERN AND WESTERN

FINNS RESEMBLE EACH

OTHER LESS THAN GERMANS

AND BRITS DO.

HOW?The Symphony of Extremes brings together a number of professionals at the apex of their fields.

Jonathan Middleton, visiting professor at the University of Tampere, has developed a program that can create sounds from the base pairs found in DNA. His work gave a starting point for Eicca Toppinen, from metal group Apocalyptica, who composed an original song based on Finnish extremes – with the help of geneticists and DNA samples.

The project has followed the composition process throughout the year, from gathering the DNA samples to premiering the finished product on 13 November 2017.

The Symphony of Extremes is published as a music video. The project is housed on visitfinland.com, where Finland’s four major regions and their unique appeal are introduced through inspiring personal stories.

WHO?Visit Finland, a unit of Finpro, is a national authority on tourism and an active

force in promoting international travel to Finland. Their main goal is to

develop Finland’s international image as a destination. Visit Finland supports

the travel industry through research and helps businesses and groups

develop products and services for the international market.

Eicca Toppinen is the composer and a founding member of Apocalyptica.

Founded in 1993, Apocalyptica was first known for covering Metallica

songs on the cello. However, their second album already featured original

compositions and the group has continued to grow into their own ever since.

Their music has been labelled cello rock (their own definition), symphonic

metal, neoclassical metal and progressive metal. The group has sold more

than four and a half million albums globally.

Päivi Onkamo was the professor of genetics at Helsinki

University up to November 2017. Onkamo studies the

DNA of ancient peoples in and around Finland. Who

lived here then? What are modern Finns made of?

The University of Helsinki is Finland’s oldest and largest

university of sciences and an international community of

40,000 people. International rankings typically put Helsinki

University into the top 100 worldwide. The university

has harnessed the power of science to benefit society,

education and health since 1640.

Janna Saarela is the head of research at FIMM, Institute

for Molecular Medicine Finland. Saarela’s role in

the project is to collect the DNA samples and analyse

the results. FIMM is an international research institute

focused on human genomics and personalised medicine.

The institute works to discover disease mechanisms

on a molecular level with the help of genetics and

medical systems biology. Their goal is to provide

research data to healthcare professionals and promote

personalised medicine.

Jonathan Middleton is a composer from Spokane who

teaches composition at Eastern Washington University.

During the project, Middleton was a guest professor

at the University of Tampere. His work is based on

algorithmic processes that help him transform natural

elements into music.

Musuta Ltd & Directors Guild Helsinki

Musuta is an internationally

acclaimed designer and

director duo formed by Timo

and Jopsu Ramu. Their clients

in Finland and Japan include

Issey Miyake, New Balance,

Muji, James Bond 007, Star

Alliance, Shiseido, Nokia,

Finnair, Iittala and numerous

other international brands.

Share & follow: # FinnishDNA | # VisitFinland

Elements 1 Trailer 2 Project video 3 Four video profiles 4 Key visual images 5 Photos

6 SymphonyofExtremes.com 7 Regional videos 8 My Stay products* 9 Music video

T H E M U S I C V I D E O W I L L B E P U B L I S H E D 1 3 N O V 2 0 1 7 .

*My Stay is a product database housed under the Visit Finland website. It contains key travel products from

different regions, making it a breeze to plan and book your holiday in Finland. visitfinland.com/mystay

Idea:

Finland is a nation of extremes. Let’s turn

our heritage into music that celebrates

these qualities.

Why?

World-weary travellers are drawn to

authenticity and extremes.

How?

We will promote Finland through work

that reflects our inherent extremes. These

qualities are discussed in the profiles.

SUMMARY

The final product is a music video for a symphony based on Finnish DNA.

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