On Friday morning I attended a press conference at the home of the Finnish Ambassador (a very splendid house in Kensington Palace Gardens). The purpose for the event was to launch the tenure of Turku as one of the two European Cities of Culture for 2011 (the other is Tallinn in Estonia).

The Cities of Culture programme is a splendid EU initiative that, each year, puts money into encouraging two cities to promote cultural events. Glasgow and Liverpool have both been beneficiaries. The Finns, as I have come to expect, take this very seriously. And I was there because I have cause to be in Turku in July and wanted to see what would be on offer. Others amongst you may also be heading there (I’m looking at you, Nalo).

Sadly we’ll miss the opening ceremonies, an extravaganza of acrobatics and pyrotechnics to be staged by a Manchester company that was also responsible for Liverpool’s opening event. Turku still has a thriving ship building industry, and the shipyards are an ideal venue for such a production.

What we should be able to see is Cirque Dracula, a new circus production from the Finnish company, Art Teatro, headed by Cirque du Soleil veteran, Pauliina Räsänen.

Sadly I think we will miss the Accordion Wrestling, but I did promise people on Twitter that I would explain what it was. It is essentially an accordion concert with “dancers” who get a little more physical than you would normally expect. It was invented by a Finnish musician, Kimmo Pohjonen, and you can learn more from his website.

Running throughout the summer will be a major art exhibition featuring the work of Tom of Finland. Touko Laaksonen, to give him his real name, was born near Turku and created a style for gay erotic art that pretty much established what most people probably now think of as the Freddie Mercury Look. Most of Tom’s work is now housed at a foundation based in Los Angeles, but a large amount of it is being brought over for the exhibition.

Of particular interest to me (because I’m still an oceanographer at heart) is the Contemporary Art Archipelago project, based in and around the beautiful islands off the Finnish coast near Turku. According to the folks at the press conference they are making a film speculating on the future of the islands. It will be called Archipelago Science Fiction, and as they are filming in the spring it may be available to be shown by July.

Finncon 2011 will take place in Turku over the weekend July 16/17 (with the usual academic conference preceding it). Confirmed as Guests of Honor are Nalo Hopkinson and Richard Morgan.