Hosted in partnership with the Palm Springs Art Museum, our 4-day Weekend of Architecture and Design convened world-class designers, innovators, and artists for a program that examined how good design can shape our future.
“Design accelerates new ideas," said Fuseproject founder Yves Béhar in his keynote talk. "Design is needed in the areas where the problems are most acute.”
Béhar spoke about his work at the intersection of technology and humanity, projects like Snoo, a high-tech bassinet that helps prevent SIDs, and Moxie, a robotic companion designed to help kids develop social, emotional, and cognitive skills.
Architectural photographer Emily Hagopian described the evolution of sustainable design, which reaches beyond LEED certification to include "living buildings" that capture water, compost waste, and interact with their sites and environs in other active ways.
Curime Batliner, an architect, artist, and professor in charge of coordinating the robotics lab at SCI-Arc, discussed the role of robotics in architecture and the relationships between the human and artificial words.
These illuminating talks stirred our imaginations and led us to consider how design influences natural and human-built environments, and how technology can be a tool for solving humanistic problems. These speakers and other luminaries attended our VIP dinner at the Kirk Douglas Estate, where guests enjoyed not only an exquisite meal in an unforgettable setting, but also the kind of conversation that makes you hungry for more.
This event was produced with support from Vermont Spirits, the Consulate General of Switzerland in San Francisco, La Prairie, and USModernist. VIP dinner menu by Chef Drew Schultz of Clover Valley Culinary.
