Eames Demetrios

Artist, Brainstormer, Consultant, Educator/Teacher, Filmmaker, Idea generator, Parent, Performer, World traveler, Writer/Editor

Eames Demetrios wears many hats: exploring film, art, design and storytelling, each rewarding in their own way. His current large scale art project is his parallel universe, Kcymaerxthaere, a global work of multivalent storytelling, telling stories through the physicality of the world. Today, there are 142.5 longterm installations in 30 linear countries, with more constantly in development. (The .5 is ready to go for the Moon.) Demetrios is the director of the Eames Office, founded by Charles and Ray Eames, and has devoted decades to communicating the Eameses wholistic vision of design to the world at large. He also works with Herman Miller and Vitra to properly make the Eames Furniture--as well as participating in development of important exhibitions like the one at the Barbican Gallery in London. Demetrios has given talks in 51 countries on 6 continents--including on TED mainstage (and TEDx talks--most of which are on YouTube: TEDxYerevan, TEDxTaipei, TEDxOttawa, TEDxVilnius, TEDxTaitung, TEDxSingapore and salons for TEDxUbud & TEDxSingapore). Frequent topics include his own work, scale, the design of Charles and Ray Eames, and simply delivering good, old-fashioned story-telling. As director of the Eames Office and author of books on design, including An Eames Primer, Demetrios is quite active in the design world. He is a filmmaker as well, having made about 75 films (mostly short documentaries, but some fiction features and animation) with subjects ranging from the Modern Maya of southern Mexico to Frank Gehry, from homelessness to legendary winemaker Peter Gago. Additional details: Born and grew up in San Francisco, he worked at Steinhart Aquarium and saw 500 movies his senior year of high school. Went back east to college and then came back to California where, as they say, he lives in southern California with his family. Written several other books: Kcymaerxthaere Travel Guides 4 & 6; Changing Her Palette: Paintings by Ray Eames; Eames: Beautiful Details; Wartime California; Please Don't Connect The Dots (blue & green volumes); Kcymaerxthaere: The Story So Far . . . (folio 1); Essential Eames: Words and Pictures. Contributed to several more.

My parallel world; Deserts; Scale; Islands

That Scale is the New Geography. Not understanding scale in this day and age is a form of illiteracy. Most of the challenges and magic unfolding are matters of scale, but the human mind, in general, is better at understanding linear growth than exponential growth. So, work around this idea becomes very important. In particular, there are ways to make it a hands on experience and thus very memorable.

Filmmaking, Kcymaerxthaere, Teaching Scale, Value of the Design Journey, Work of Charles and Ray Eames

A couple of years ago at TEDActive we had a great time doing a Kcymaerxthaere treasure hunt throughout the week and Ian Tuck walked away with first prize. The whole experience was a blast for those who played and for those of us putting it on. A few years before that, I gave a mainstage TED Talk in Monterey. Very wonderful, but nerve-wracking--not so much in the giving of the talk but in trying to be sure there was something for experts in the field and novices alike. A trial by fire at my first TED. In the video, they cut out all my transitions so it sounds a bit more random than it was. But still some good ideas get through. Though I enjoyed the speaker experience, and I value what fellow speakers have to say, I think the conversations and the shared experience of intense focus are the richest part of all.

Making martinis