A dizzying display of movement and color is spinning at Woodruff Park. The Mexican artists Hector Esrawe and Ignacio Cadena, known professionally as Esrawe + Cadena, have created an enchanting installation of spinning, interactive structures called “Los Trompos,” inspired by the spinning toy tops of their childhood.
“Los Trompos” is currently installed as part of the “Art in the Park” series at Woodruff Park through Nov. 30, and they both recently joined “City Lights” producer Kim Drobes to share more about their gigantic twirling tops.
Their objective in creating these larger-than-life objects, said Cadena, was to provide “a representation of a toy that can be inhabited.” To accommodate adults and children, the tops are woven in part with bright and playful colored fabrics by Mexican artisans and stand 8-10 feet tall.
The duo has created installations of “Los Trompos” across the United States, working together for more than 15 years on different variations on their spinning top ideas, including an installation at Atlanta’s High Museum in 2015.
The placement of their newest crop of gigantic toys at Woodruff Park allows them to once again “serve as vessels for interaction, for communication, for gathering, for pure enjoyment,” explained Cadena.
