Welcome to Helsinki Biennial! On this page you’ll find information about the accessibility of the biennial. You’ll also find details about the accessibility of the various exhibition sites, getting to Vallisaari, toilet facilities, and a gradient map of the terrain.
You can experience Helsinki Biennial at HAM Helsinki Art Museum, in Esplanade Park, and on the island of Vallisaari. All the exhibition sites are shown on this map.
We are constantly updating the information provided. Please feel free to send any questions and feedback to: helsinkibiennial@hamhelsinki.fi
For questions related to accessibility, you can also contact the Helsinki Biennial customer service number: +358 40 509 4958 (Tue–Sun 10:00–18:00).
Address: Eteläinen Rautatiekatu 8, 00100 Helsinki
HAM is located at Tennis Palace in central Helsinki, next to Kamppi shopping centre. You can access HAM easily by public transport from any part of the Helsinki metropolitan area.
Tennis Palace is accessible.
Address: Eteläesplanadi & Pohjoisesplanadi, 00170 Helsinki
Esplanade Park is located in the heart of Helsinki, just a few minutes’ walk from Helsinki Central railway station and the Market Square (Kauppatori). The park is easy to reach by foot, bike, or public transport.
There are no accessible parking spaces at Esplanade Park.
Esplanade Park is an accessible site.
The public toilet on the western side of the park is accessible and also suitable for wheelchair users.
Vallisaari Island is located just 25 minutes by ferry from Helsinki’s Market Square, which is easy to reach by foot, bike, or public transport.
The scheduled ferry service to Vallisaari leaves from Keisarinluoto pier on the Market Square.
Access to the ferry boarding platform is via a wooden ramp. The ramp is at an angle of approximately 29 degrees.
There is a Helsinki Biennial info point in the Market Square, and this info point is fitted with an induction loop.
You can loan hearing protectors, walking poles, hiking chairs, binoculars, and children’s backpacks from the info point.
On Vallisaari, the accessible pier is located at Torpedolahti. The ferry first stops at Luotsipiha pier, before continuing to Torpedolahti, where accessible disembarkation is possible.
Ferries
The ferries to and from the island are managed by FRS Finland. Ferry schedules can be found on the FRS Finland Website.
There are two ferries that run to Vallisaari: Isosaari II and Gädda. On Mondays, the island is only served by Isosaari II. During the opening hours of the biennial, Isosaari II will leave from the Market Square on the hour, while Gädda will depart at half past the hour.
We recommend using Gädda for accessible journeys.
The ferry operator recommends bringing an assistant where necessary. Assistants travel free of charge on the ferry.
For questions relating to the accessibility of the ferries, please contact the ferry operator:
FRS Finland, +358 10 202 3780 (Mon–Fri 09:00–15:00), info@frs-finland.fi
Photos: HAM / Helsinki Biennial / Sonja Hyytiäinen
The routes are generally surfaced with sand and in places with stones. It is not possible to avoid uneven parts of the routes that are surfaced with stones. The route around the biennial pieces does not feature any outdoor stairs, but there are stairs at the entrances to and within indoor spaces. The terrain is hilly and rough in places. The weather conditions affect the evenness, hardness, and slipperiness of the routes.
Guide dogs and assistance dogs are welcome on Vallisaari, just like any other dogs. Dogs must be kept on a lead. Dogs are not permitted in any of the indoor spaces.
The Helsinki Biennial artworks are indicated with signs. The signs feature QR codes that will take you to the biennial’s website for more information about each piece. The Metsähallitus signs on the island also provide guidance for visitors.
Metsähallitus’s map of Vallisaari
The island has a number of accessible toilets, which are shown on this map.
Picnic area toilet
Torpedo Bay toilet
Luotsipiha toilet
The Helsinki Biennial art workshop is located on a sandy area in Kuolemanlaakso.
The Helsinki Biennial shop is located on a sandy area in Kuolemanlaakso.
There are a total of 27 art entities on display on Vallisaari, with 10 of those located indoors in basements and the Alexander Battery (Aleksanterinpatteri). Please note that the indoor spaces may not be well lit.
The biennial’s customer service assistants will help visitors navigate the stairs and thresholds at the entrances to the exhibition spaces, if necessary.
The numbers refer to the piece location numbers shown on this map.
6. Pia Sirén: Under Cover
7. Hans Rosenström: Tidal Tears
8. Tue Greenfort: Limulus Polyphemus Lampisaari (Pond Island)
10. Nomeda & Gediminas Urbonas: Futurity Island
11. Gunzi Holmström: From the Dark into the Great Blue Yonder
12. Raimo Saarinen: Invasive Scent
13. LOCUS: Zostera Marina’s song of increase
14. Tania Candiani: Sonic Seeds
16. Sara Bjarland: Stranding
20. Ernesto Neto: SaariBird
27. Carola Grahn: Vaeralden Olmai
29. Laura Põld: Külmking. Resting Within Puddles and Branches
30. Saskia Calderón: Coro de la Selva (Jungle Choir) & Sonata Vallisaari (Sonnet for Vallisaari)
31. nabbteeri: a suitable host
32. Olafur Eliasson: Viewing machine
9. Geraldine Javier: Witness
15. Tania Candiani: Subterra (Subterranean)
17. Kati Roover: Songs in the Ocean
18. Juan Zamora: To Embody an Island
19. Band of Weeds: Weep of Trees
28. Katie Holten: Learning to be Better Lovers (Forest School)
The threshold to enter the Alexander Battery is 8 cm high. There is grass growing on the threshold, which reduces the height difference between the threshold and the ground. The width of the door at the entrance is 108 cm.
The route within the Alexander Battery runs along wooden platforms. The minimum width of the platforms is 90 cm, and they feature ramps at angles of 8–10 degrees.
The route includes thresholds of 2.5–3.5 cm in height. The wooden platforms may have slight cambers.
There is no induction loop in these spaces.
21. Kristiina Koskentola: Murder of Crows
22. Paul Rosero Contreras: The Garden of Forking Paths
23. Tue Greenfort: Ohrenqualle, lat. Aurelia Aurita I-VII and Periphylla Periphylla I
24. Tamara Henderson: Worm Affair
25. Theresa Traore Dahlberg: Signals Beyond
26. Ana Teresa Barboza: Interwoven Stories