Kristin Damrow

Ray Eames (1912-1988), a painter, and her husband Charles (1907-1978), an architect, revolutionized the field of furniture design in the 1950s. Best known for their iconic Eames Lounge Chair, the couple had a strongly collaborative design process that defied conventional practice in their time. Explains Damrow: “I became most interested in the lesser-known Eames story — the one about their relationship as husband and wife, and as collaborative business partners. . . . Ray’s struggle and courage helped pave the way for women designers and artists [to be] acknowledged for their work. This project has brought me into exciting new territory as a choreographer, testing my chops with more of a narrative story than . . . the abstract work I have done in the past.” In EAMES, five dancers—one male, four female—will explore the gender and artistic dynamics between the two creative geniuses, whose love and shared devotion to design resonates to this day.