Streets of Crime and Love

In Streets of Crime and Love, the Kallio of the films is interwoven with real local history and fiction is placed on the map of the actual city.

In the exhibition, you can delve into the world of cinema where clotheslines sway in the yards, shady characters sneak about the alleys at night and something strange is happening at a suspicious second-hand shop. On the touchscreen map, you can pick a set that interests you and see the scenes from the various films shot there.

The fictional image of the Helsinki districts north of the Pitkäsilta Bridge – offered to us by films and television dramas – is viewed from the perspectives of crime and love, as well as family and friends. Does the myth of the nest of criminals, drunks and depraved youth, repeated since the 1920s, still persist? Are the film clichés shifting now that the neighbourhoods have radically changed?

The exhibition is curated and designed by set designer and film researcher Minna Santakari, in cooperation with the Helsinki City Museum’s team.