Born in Helsinki, Finland, London-based Tapio Snellman is a filmmaker, artist and architect whose work spans a wide creative realm, encompassing cinematography, editing, motion graphics, 3d animation and design. Work includes self-commissioned conceptual films dealing with urbanism, as well as directing of documentaries, brand films and 3D animations. Site specific video installations deal with architecture, urban experience and the clashing of cultures.

During his time as part of the creative partnership neutral, Tapio engaged in collaborations on animation and film projects with architects such as Herzog & de Meuron, Zaha Hadid, Steven Holl, Rem Koolhaas and David Chipperfield.

Films and installations have been exhibited internationally and have featured in exhibitions at venues such as the Victoria & Albert Museum, The Hayward Gallery, The Guggenheim Museum in New York, Kiasma in Helsinki, Tate Modern and numerous times as part of the Venice Architecture Biennale. Furthermore, Tapio has created video designs and virtual sets for theatre, dance and opera, most notably at the Royal Opera House in Amsterdam under the direction of choreographer Sasha Waltz.

Initially Tapio graduated as an architect with an MA in Urban Planning in 1997, after which he worked as an architect in Tokyo, including for Toyo Ito.

Academic work includes teaching of filmmaking at Universities such as the Architectural Association in London, the New Design University in St Pölten, the London School of Economics, The Southern California institute of Architecture (SCI-Arch) in Los Angeles, the Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich and the São Paulo School of Architecture and Urbanism (FAUUSP).

BIOGRAPHY

Born in Helsinki, Finland – Finnish / Swiss parentage
Vordiplom Architektur, Universität Stuttgart 1994
Diploma in Architecture, University of North London 1997
MA in Urbanism, Universität Stuttgart 1997
Work as an architect including at Toyo Ito Architects in Tokyo, Japan 1998
Director of Neutral, a multidisciplinary design studio together with Christian Grou from 1999 until 2011
Teaching at multiple univesities since 2000
Independent filmdirector and artist, since 2011

EXHIBITIONS

MUDAC ‘The Invisible Menagerie’ 2026
ZAZ ‘Zürich Wohnen’ 2026
Müszarnok, Budapest ‘Makovecz: 7 Mythical buildings’ 2025
AD Museo, ‘Helsinki Underground’ 2025
Design Museum, Helsinki, ‘Sidoksia’ 2024
MUDAC, Lausanne ‘Helsinki Underground’ 2024
Irish Architecture Foundation, Dublin, ‘A Lot With Little’ 2025
TU Delft, ‘A Lot With Little’ 2025
Architectural Association, London, ‘A Lot With Little’ 2024
DAZ Deutsches Architekturzentrum, Berlin, ‘A Lot With Little’ 2024
CAMP - Centrum architektury a městského plánování Prague, ‘A Lot With Little’ 2024
ZAZ Zürcher Architekturzentrum, Zurich, ‘A Lot With Little’ 2024
Guangzhou Museum of Art, ‘A Lot With Little’ 2023
Chicago Mas Context, ‘A Lot With Little’ 2023
Biennale di Architettura, Venice, ‘A Lot With Little’ 2023
ETH Zurich, ‘SESC & The City– A Social Archive’ 2021
Watari-um, Tokyo, ‘Lina Bo Bardi – Architecture for All’ 2015
S AM, Basel, ‘Filmbau. Constructing Film’ 2015
Graham Foundation, Chicago, ‘Lina Bo Bardi: Together’ 2015
MAXXI, Roma, ‘Lina Bo Bardi in Italia’ 2014
Triennale di Milano, ‘Lina Bo Bardi: Together’ 2014
Museum of Modern Art, New York, ‘Uneven Growth’ 2014
Schweizerisches Architekturmuseum Basel,’Lina Bo Bardi: Together’ 2014
DAZ Deutsches Architekturzentrum, Berlin, ‘Lina Bo Bardi: Together’ 2014
Slade School of Art, London, ‘Dalston Fluxus’ 2013
Arkitekturmuseet, Stockholm, ‘Lina Bo Bardi: Together’ 2013
Pavillon de L’Arsenale, Paris, ‘Lina Bo Bardi: Together’ 2013
Architekturzentrum, Berlin, ‘Lina Bo Bardi: Together’ 2013
British Council, London, ‘Lina Bo Bardi: Together’ 2013
Clerkenwell Design Week, ‘Vertico’ 2012
St Pancras Church, The Crypt Gallery, London, ‘Lingering Whispers’ 2010
Victoria & Albert Museum, London, ‘Late Night at the V&A’ 2010
HDLU, Zagreb, ‘Dogma’ 2009
Museum of Modern Art, New York, ‘Design and the Elastic Mind’ 2008
Tate Modern, London, ‘Global Cities’ 2007
Biennale di Architectura, Venice, ‘Cities, Architecture and Society’ 2006
Guggenheim Museum, New York, ‘Zaha Hadid’ 2006
Trienal de Arquitectura de Lisboa, Lisbon, ‘My World’ 2006
Norsk design- og arkitektursenter, Oslo, ‘My World’ 2006
Design Museum, London, ‘My World’ 2006
Centraal Museum, Utrecht, ‘Place to Passage’ 2005
Centre George Pompidou, Paris, ‘Place to Passage’ 2004
Centre d’Art Contemporain, Geneva, ‘Place to Passage’ 2004
Proje 4 L Museum, Istanbul, ‘Place to Passage’ 2004
Spazio Etoile, Rome 2004, ‘Place to Passage’ 2003
The Truman Brewery, London, ‘Place to Passage’ 2003
Kiasma, Helsinki, ‘Cities on the Move’ 2000
291 Gallery, London, ‘Seek 01’ 2000
Institute of Contemporary Art, London ‘Zaha Hadid at the ICA’ 2000
Hayward Gallery, London, ‘Cities on the Move’ 1999

PROJECTION DESIGN

‘Tommy’, English Theatre Frankfurt 2011
‘Scarlett Web’, Big Telly, Coleraine (Touring UK and Ireland) 2012
‘Dialoge’ Sasha Waltz and Guests Kolkata 2013
‘One Sandwich Short of a Genius’, Big Telly, Coleraine 2014
‘Orfeo’ National Opera, Amsterdam (Touring) 2014
‘Gulliver’ Big Telly Theatre Company/ MAC, Belfast 2015
’Singing in the Rain’ Mill in Sonning 2019
’Faune’ Sasha Waltz and Guests, Berlin 2024

TEACHING ASSIGNMENTS

New Design University, Sankt Pölten 2015–2026
ETH Zürich/FAUUSP São Paulo 2019
University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Architecture 2010
Technical University of Innsbruck 2005–2015
Southern California Institute of Architecture, Los Angeles 2005
London School of Economics / Cities Programme 2004
Architectural Association, London 2000…2023
Byam Shaw School of Art, London 2000

GUEST CRITIC

Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago
London Metropolitan University
University of Greenwich, London

LECTURES AND TALKS

SESC & The City, A Social Archive, Zürich 2021
South West Design Share, Phoenix AZ, 2020
100 Day Studio, Architecture Foundation, London 2020
Lunchtime Lectures, New Design University, Sankt Pölten 2020
Building on the Built, Jonathan Tuckey Design 2020
Korea University School of Architecture, Seoul 2015
New Design University, Sankt Pölten 2015
Goethe Institute, Kolkata 2013
University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Architecture 2010
Victoria & Albert Museum, London 206
Tokyo University Faculty of Architecture
Norsk design- og arkitektursenter, Oslo 2006
Institute of Contemporary Art, London
Central Saint Martins, London
Southern California Institute of Architecture, Los Angeles
Architectural Association, London
Technical University of Innsbruck
Kunstakademie, Stuttgart 1999