Weekly design agenda: if you're going to San Francisco...

(Henry Wessel)

...be sure to visit the SFMOMA's new photo exhibition on man-altered landscapes.

"New Topographics: Photographs of a Man-altered Landscape" exhibit
July 17 - October 3
San Francisco, USA

On view at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), this display is a restaging of a historically significant exhibition held in 1975 at the George Eastman House in Rochester, New York, which "signaled the emergence of a radically new approach to landscape and demonstrated the influence of Conceptualism and Minimalism on photography in the 1970s."
http://www.sfmoma.org

Sydney Design 2010
July 31 - August 15
Sydney, Australia

For the 14th edition of its two-week design festival, Sydney has come up with a program of more than 70 events across the city, which all center around the theme of 'Tell us a Story.' Highlights include the exhibition Creating the look: Benini and fashion photography, a 2010 Australian International Design Awards display, and a designers' market. A pass that grants access to all activities during the event costs $20.
http://www.sydneydesign.com.au

Formex
August 12-15
Stockholm, Sweden

Designer Jan Rundgren is creating this autumn's theme exhibition, Happy Home, which is designed to boost visitors' mood with color- and cheerful items. Formex is a professional meeting place for Nordic design, taking place twice a year and attracting around 25,000 visitors.
http://www.formex.se

Alvar Aalto Design Seminar
August 21-22
Helsinki, Finland

The international seminar - this time focusing on the theme of 'Invisible' - once more invites professionals and students to discuss a hot topic in design. Speakers include Naoto Fukasawa, Ross Lovegrove, Inga Sempe, Hans Maier-Aichen, Monica Förster, Simo Heikkila and Clemens Weisshaar.
http://www.alvaraalto.fi

Helsinki Design Week
August 26 - September 5
Helsinki, Finland

Helsinki Design Week invites professionals and the public alike to a series of events centered around the theme of storytelling. Now in its sixth year, it tells the stories behind the creations and processes involved in design.
http://www.helsinkidesignweek.com