10/10/10 – An Auspicious Day to Celebrate the Powers of Ten
The Relative Scale of Things and
the Ideas and Work of Charles and Ray Eames
Sunday, October 10
Noon-4pm

In 1977 Charles and Ray Eames made a nine-minute film called Powers of Ten that influenced the way millions of people see the world. This cinematic journey out to the edge of space and time and then back again deep into a carbon atom located in the hand of a man napping at a picnic has inspired artists, educators, scientists and individuals to create exhibitions, paintings, educational activities as well as a host of cinematic homages and affectionate parodies.

“Take your pleasure seriously,” is a famous statement of American designer Charles Eames, and the Exploratorium in San Francisco intends to do just that. On October 10, 2010, (10/10/10), an auspiciously numbered day, the Exploratorium celebrates the Eames’ ideas and specifically their famous film, Powers of Ten. The day will include activities, demonstrations, conversations, and of course, films, exploring the relative scale of things, and the philosophy and ideas of Charles and Ray Eames. The Eames were arguably the most important and egalitarian American designers of the 20th century and contributed to the fields of education, architecture, design, manufacturing, cinema and photography. This event is included in the price of admission to the museum.

The Eames were also friends of Exploratorium founder, the noted physicist and educator Frank Oppenheimer, an equally brilliant Renaissance man. Visit the Exploratorium’s Events Calendar on line on the day of the event for times and descriptions of activities.

For true Eames aficionados, a selection of rare, short films, culled from the archives of the Eames Office and the Exploratorium Film Collection, will be screened at 2pm on Saturday, October 9.