Dr Leevi Haapala says his job and his free time are inextricably linked. The Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art must represent his museum and attend assorted cultural events.

“I rather think of what I used to enjoy doing in my free time. We just got our wooden boat into dry dock for the winter, so there's one worry dealt with.”

In between his representative duties, Dr Haapala does his best to visit exhibitions and follow developments in the rest of the art field. In addition to hanging out with friends and cooking, Dr Haapala is interested in retro design. He picks up items representing the pop aesthetic of the 1960s–70s from fairs and antique shops as well as online. His collecting also helps him deal with stress.

“I took up this retro hobby such as collecting art glass in the cheerful pop spirit as a balance of sorts when I was working on my doctoral dissertation. My research was extremely theoretical and even grim at times. Fascinating yes, but I needed something cheerful for balance.”

In music, Dr Haapala is happy to follow the lead of his friends as to good performers and concerts. The sole exception to this is his keen enjoyment of Flow Festival, held in the old gasworks of Suvilahti.

“It's great that they can hold these events in the middle of the city. This year I was visiting some friends in Kalasatama right next door to Suvilahti and their balcony had a great view over the festival grounds.”