Growing up with Storytellers

Following the film Eames: The Architect and the Painter, the director of New York’s Architecture & Design Film Festival (ADFF), Kyle Bergman, will embark on a conversation with Eames Demetrios, director of the Eames Office and one of the grandchildren of Charles and Ray Eames. Demetrios will discuss his experience with his grandparents and how that has influenced his creative path as a filmmaker, artist, and storyteller. He will also discuss – through his own work of films, books and even an international array of physical installations called Kcymaerxthaere – how the creative processes of making buildings, products, art, and film often have a common thread: storytelling.

Speaker: Eames Demetrios is best known in the design world as the director of the Eames Office and for authoring several design books, including An Eames Primer and Essential Eames. Demetrios is also the chairman of the board of the Eames Foundation, which is responsible for taking care of the Eames House. His current large-scale project is his parallel universe, Kcymaerxthaere – a global artwork of multi-dimensional storytelling. For this, Demetrios has so far installed 142 markers and historic sites involving 27 linear languages in 30 countries on 6 continents. Demetrios has also made over 60 films (mostly shorts) on topics from the Modern Maya to Frank Gehry, from homelessness to legendary winemaker Peter Gago, with genres including fiction, documentary and animation. Demetrios has given talks in 50 countries, including on the mainstage of the legendary TED conference. 

Moderator: Kyle Bergman, an architect by profession, founded the Architecture & Design Film Festival (ADFF) in 2009 and serves as its festival director. He has always recognized the strong connection between architecture and film. ADFF provides a unique opportunity to educate, entertain and engage people who are passionate about the world of architecture and design. Now in its 13th season, ADFF has grown to become the largest film festival dedicated to the creative spirit of architecture and design. Bergman also serves as president for Pacific Rim Park (PRP) whose mission is to use the process of designing and building parks as a tool to connect people and communities around the Pacific. An entrepreneur at heart, Bergman founded Alt Spec in 1999, a publishing company that produced a visual resource of unique and alternative products for architects and designers.