The City of Culture had this to say about their crystals:

"Kide (Crystal) is the symbol project of the Helsinki City of Culture programme and a salute to the eight other Cities of Culture for 2000. In September 1999, a Crystal was installed in each of the Cities of Culture, providing a visual connection between them through a monitor near the sculpture itself. The Crystals returned to Helsinki before the New Year 2000."

   

"The Crystal resembles an ice cube; it is made of laminated and reinforced glass elements. The light source in the Crystal reacts to the touch of a human hand, and the light grows depending on how many people touch it. In the dark, the Crystal is lit. The Crystal is designed by architects Kari Leppänen and Peter Ch. Butter. The visual design is by Dusan Jovanovic and the sound design by Jyrki Sandell. The glass construction is a patented Finnish invention."

The nine crystals can be seen in Helsinki (beside the Lutheran Cathedral in the Senate Square) until January 23, after which they will be taken away for storage.