Colorful, woven spinning tops decorated the lawn at Houston’s Discovery Green park from November 14, 2015-March 22, 2016 as part of an interactive art installation by Mexico City designers Héctor Esrawe and Ignacio Cadena. Dubbed Los Trompos, the installation featured twenty, 3D structures that also doubled as seating. Only two or more people working together could make the tops spin, “fostering an engaging connection.”
The tops were woven using a traditional Mexican style, and each spinning top had a unique form, “inspired by nature and traditional Latin American design, architecture and folk art.”
“The concept behind Los Trompos is based on traditional toys, their colorful expression and the way they are constructed,” Esrawe said in a press release. “We like the idea of translating these techniques into new symbols used to create an interactive piece that is part installation, part furniture and part playground, a place where human connections are made. Los Trompos is a place of color and joy!”
Esrawe and Cadena work together at their Mexico City firm E+C, carrying out projects in both the US and Mexico. They originally created Los Trompos while at a residency at the High Museum of Atlanta, although the installation was adapted for Houston.
