'New Singapore' – Douglas, Michigan - Atlas Obscura

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'New Singapore'

Douglas, Michigan

On the shores of Lake Kalamazoo, a plaque marks a fictional event where an island nation ran aground. 

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Created by artist Eames Demetrios, Kcymaerxthaere is an art project comprising a series of plaques and other markers around the world. Each of these sites honors an event that took place in a parallel universe that, according to Demetrios, “co-exists to some degree with ours.” It has been likened to a novel with every page in a different place. These markers and historical sites have been installed at locations in the real world that Demetrios says have a connection to his imagined world.

You can find one of these markers overlooking the protected waters of a small lake teased from the Kalamazoo River. It honors the fictional nation of New Singapore, which landed in this spot after a terrible storm. The story on the plaque also ties together the threads of history weaving through Aywatin gwome. (Gwome roughly translates as “footprint of the nation.”). New Singapore was just one of the gwome’s power centers. As of 2021, there are more than 140 Kcymaerxthaere sites spread across six continents and 30 countries.

As of 2021, there are more than 140 Kcymaerxthaere sites spread across six continents and 30 countries.

Know Before You Go

You can walk right up to it from the parking lot. Look for the red lighthouse on the green sward by the water.

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September 25, 2014

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