On Saturday afternoon, Eames Demetrios hosted a casual lecture about his project Kcymaerxthaere at the Old City Jail. A curious crowd gathered under the oak trees hoping to glean some insight into the artist’s fictional alternative universe and see the unveiling of his latest plaque. I can’t say I feel much more knowledgeable about the project after hearing Demetrios speak, but I do know how to pronounce it now: Ki-mer-ix-theer.
Arriving a few minutes late, Demetrios joked that he would have been punctual in Kcymaerxthaeric time. A hundred percent in character, he quizzed us on our knowledge of Kcymaerxthaeric history and bemoaned our society’s negligent schooling. He then launched into the convoluted story of why the Charleston area is so important to Kcymaerxthaere. Using the realm’s invented language and referring to a number of related and equally complex histories, Demetrios was hard to follow as he told his tale like a storyteller regaling a crowd of children. Except this was no simple fairy tale.
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