The 61st Sydney Film Festival and Vivid Sydney today announced that Eames Demetrios – filmmaker, Eames Office director and grandson of Charles and Ray Eames – will attend the Sydney Film Festival in June and take part in Vivid Sydney as part of Vivid Ideas.
Eames Demetrios is best known in the design world for his work as director of the Eames Office, spearheading the successful re-discovery, preservation and extension of his late grandparents Charles And Ray Eames’ design legacy.
This June, Demetrios will introduce a specially curated program of short films by Charles and Ray Eames at Event Cinemas, followed by a book signing in the Festival Hub. The Festival Hub will also feature several key furniture pieces designed by Charles and Ray Eames as part of the Herman Miller Collection Lounge presented by Living Edge. Herman Miller’s association with film has its roots in the company’s long relationship with Charles and Ray Eames and their contribution to the film industry.
“We are really pleased to have Eames Demetrios as a special guest of the Festival this year,” said Mathieu Ravier, Festival Hub Programmer. “His work on the preservation, restoration and distribution of the films of Charles and Ray Eames is nothing short of extraordinary, extending the iconic designers’ legacy into the realm of cinema and introducing their unique outlook to new generations of film and design enthusiasts.”
Eames Demetrios will also be appearing in a series of events as a keynote speaker as part of the Vivid Ideas program this year, a key component of Vivid Sydney. He will be leading two signature workshop events as part of Vivid Ideas, focusing on innovative thinking and creative design. In the first event, On Stories that Show Us the World Through Fresh Eyes, he will tell participatory stories and explain how to understand our experience of the world, at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia. At the second event, What Can We Learn from Modern Design?, Eames will share his thoughts on what we can learn from Modern Design at the Rose Seidler House.
“Eames Demetrios is such an inspirational creative personality who has so much to offer and we are so excited to have him on board as part of Vivid Ideas this year,” said Jessica Scully, Vivid Ideas Festival Director. “Vivid Ideas, the industry and business pillar of Vivid Sydney, this year boasts an expanded program, with over 200 events and Eames Demetrios is sure to get people thinking outside the box and engaging with the concept of Modern Design and creative thinking.”
Eames Demetrios is also a writer, filmmaker and cinematographer in his own right. He has written eight books, including An Eames Primer, a thematic biography capturing the life, work, process and philosophy of his grandparents, and has made over 65 films and videos of various lengths over the past 25 or so years. Some recent film projects include Powers of Ten: Wine, Ping Pong, which captures the design process of architect Frank Gehry, and the DVD Eames by Demetrios which puts together some the many shorts he has done about the Eames work.
Charles and Ray Eames were influential American designers whose contributions to modern architecture and design not only made a lasting impression on postwar America, but whose far-reaching legacy can still be felt around the world today.
The husband-and-wife team were also accomplished filmmakers for whom film was not only a way to document and communicate, but also to model their remarkable vision. This program of short films by Charles and Ray was specially curated for Sydney Film Festival by grandson Eames Demetrios. As the director of the Eames Office, Eames Demetrios was instrumental in restoring and releasing these films. He will be on hand to introduce each one and answer questions from the audience. The screening is followed by a book signing at the Festival Hub, which this year features several key furniture pieces by the iconic American designers.
Films featured include:
Toccata for Toy Trains (1957, 13 mins)
Glimpses of the USA (1959, 12 mins)
Polyorchis Haplus (1969, 2 mins)
Music of the Fifties (1960, 10 mins)
901: After 45 Years of Working (directed by Eames Demetrios, 1989, 4-min excerpt)
Design Q&A (1969; 5 mins)
Symmetry (1961; 2 mins)
Aquarium (1969; 9 mins)
Powers of Ten (1977; 9 mins)
Screening: EAMES ON EAMES illustrated talk
When: Friday 6 June, 6pm
Where: Event Cinemas George Street
Tickets: $10 + booking fee via 1300 733 733 or sff.org.au
Book signing: Friday 6 June, 8pm, Festival Hub at Town Hall
Grab a drink and experience Eames designs and more at the Herman Miller Collection Lounge by Living Edge, part of the Sydney Film Festival Hub at Town Hall, 483 George Street (Druitt Street Entrance).
Full details on Eames Demetrios’ involvement in the Vivid Ideas program and the two signature workshop events can be found below:
On Stories that Show Us the World Through Fresh Eyes:
Eames Demetrios tells immersive, participatory stories to help us organise and understand our experience of the world.
Saturday 7 June, 2-4pm
MCA Seminar Room, Level 6, Museum of Contemporary Art
Tickets from $35 + booking fee
What Can We Learn from Modern Design?:
Eames Demetrios manages the legacy of one of the great collaborations of Modern Design through his role with the Eames Office, a clearinghouse of resources for researching, understanding and exploring the work and ideas of these legendary creative people. His heritage has informed his work as a filmmaker and cultural force. Join us in the lounge room of the iconic Rose Seidler House for this intimate conversation with Eames as he shares his thoughts on what we can learn from Modern Design.
Sunday 8 June, 2-3pm
Rose Seidler House
Note: The full Sydney Film Festival program will be announced next Wednesday 7 May. Flexipasses and subscriptions to Sydney Film Festival 2014 are on sale now. Please call 1300 733 733 or visit sff.org.au for more information.
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ABOUT SYDNEY FILM FESTIVAL
Sydney Film Festival screens feature films, documentaries, short films and animated films across the city at the State Theatre, Event Cinemas George Street, Dendy Opera Quays, the Art Gallery of NSW, Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace Cremorne, the Apple Store, SFFTV at Martin Place, Skyline Drive-In Blacktown, and the Festival Hub at Town Hall.
The Festival is a major event on the New South Wales cultural calendar and is one of the world’s longest-running film festivals. For more information visit www.sff.org.au
Sydney Film Festival also presents 12 films that vie for the Official Competition, a highly respected international honour that awards a $60,000 cash prize based on the decision of a jury of international and Australian filmmakers and industry professionals. Previous Sydney Film Prize winners include: Only God Forgives (2013), Alps (2012), A Separation (2011) – which went on to win an Academy Award, Heartbeats (2010), Bronson (2009) and Hunger (2008).
The 61st Sydney Film Festival is supported by the NSW Government through Screen NSW, the Federal Government through Screen Australia, and the City of Sydney. The Festival’s Strategic partner is the NSW Government through Destination NSW.
What: Sydney Film Festival
When: 4-15 June, 2014
Tickets & Info: 1300 733 733 www.sff.org.au
ABOUT VIVID SYDNEY 2014
Vivid Sydney is the Southern Hemisphere’s largest festival of light, music and ideas, which for 18 days – from 23 May to 9 June 2014 – transforms the Harbour City with its colourful creative canvas. Now in its sixth year, and owned and managed by Destination NSW, the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency, Vivid Sydney features large scale light installations and projections (Vivid Light); music performances and collaborations (Vivid Music including Vivid LIVE at the Sydney Opera House); and creative ideas, discussion and debate (Vivid Ideas), all celebrating Sydney as the creative hub of the Asia-Pacific. For more information visit www.vividsydney.com
What: Vivid Sydney
When: 23 May-9 June, 2014
Info: www.vividsydney.com/