The City of Turku will photograph one hundred of its residents for its anniversary campaign to celebrate a culturally diverse Turku. The photographs will be taken by renowned photographer Vesa Aaltonen, and the Multicultural Council of Turku acts as the campaign’s patron.

The photographs of the one hundred residents of Turku will be spread across the city during 2017, Finland’s 100th year of independence. The photographs will be used on the electric boards along the entry routes to the city, on advertisement boards in the city centre and on the back ends of Föli buses. The plan is to also project the photographs onto the outer wall of the main library.

The photographs and stories will be compiled onto the City’s website in early 2017. 

“The people of Turku are apt to take part, and it is my belief that they will be on board for the photo shoots. We are looking for residents of Turku of different looks and ages.  We wish to photograph native residents and immigrants alike – a full spectrum of the cultural diversity in Turku,” says Director of Communication Saara Malila of the City of Turku.

Vesa Aaltonen is a renowned freelance photographer from Turku. Since Turku was named the European Capital of Culture in 2011, Aaltonen has been involved in carrying out dozens of self-portrait workshops in cities such as Turku, St. Petersburg and Cologne. Aaltonen has worked as a photographer since 1995, working with a wide range of subjects such as landscapes, portraits, theatre performances and museum exhibitions.

The Multicultural Council of Turku.

One Turku ‒ a Hundred Stories

The Multicultural Council of Turku acts as the patron of the campaign, which is part of the #oneturku campaign for a multicultural Turku launched in the autumn of 2016.

Multicultural Council Chairperson  Muhis Azizi considers the ‘Yksi Turku ‒ sata tarinaa’ (One Turku ‒ a Hundred Stories) campaign a great way to show what Turku looks like in 2017.

“Our city is becoming more multicultural every day, which raises more challenges as well, and therefore it is everyone’s duty to care for the city we share and keep up this mentality constantly. Turku needs all of us now more than ever, and together we are strong,” Azizi says.

Multicultural council

www.aaltonenvesa.com

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