Why Is the Namesake of Charles and Ray Eames Building an Alternate Universe With Mini Monuments?

The grandson of modernist designers Charles and Ray Eames, Eames Demetrios, has since 2003 been installing faux historical markers— think Civil War battlefields— from Paris, Illinois to the Gervallach Islands of Scotland, building a place-based parallel narrative world he calls Kcymaerxthaere. Artist and "geographer-at-large" Demetrios spent years imagining this mind-blowingly extensive, labyrinthine infrastructure for what he calls, "a global work of three-dimensional storytelling."

Kcymaerxthaere is a parallel universe that intersects with much of our linear Earth. The name comes from the cognate words kcymaara (meaning "the true physicality of the planet") and xthaere (which is a shape with almost an infinity of edges or dimensions--infinity minus 29 to be precise).

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The fictitious history of Kcymaerxthaere unfolds via a series of interconnected folk tales both online and off. To date, Eames has installed 74 bronze plaques and historical artifacts, representing the alternative world, at real world locations across the globe. The exact locations are identified in a series of Kcymaerxthaeren travel guides.

There's a deeper purpose behind this multidimensional storytelling initiative: Eames has commissioned Penduka, a female empowerment collective based in Namibia, to hand embroider a collection of limited edition accessories and home goods depicting Kcymaerxthaere folklore and proceeds will improve the lives of real women living in Namibia.