Client: Discovery Green Conservancy
Location: Houston, TX, United States
Completion date: 2015
Project Team
Artist
Ignacio Cadena and Héctor Esrawe
Art Consultant
Weingarten Art Group
Public Art Agent
Discovery Green Conservancy
Overview
Ignacio Cadena and Héctor Esrawe’s, Los Trompos, or ‘spinning tops’ at Discovery Green® is made up of twenty interactive structures that draws inspiration from spinning tops, a common toy around the world. The colorful surfaces are partially created by fabric woven in a traditional style and each top has a unique shape that is inspired by the traditional Latin American design, architecture and folk art. Los Trompos is fully complete when visitors interact with the installation and collaborate together to spin the structures bringing Los Trompos to life and creating a kaleidoscope of movement.
Goals
The Discovery Green Conservancy, a 501 ©(3) is committed in making art an integral part of the daily experience with the objective to delight, educate, and engage. The park programs and displays temporary art installations that its 1.2 million visitors might not otherwise encounter in a setting that is accessible. The Public Art Committee at Discovery Green® chose to showcase Los Trompos for its emphasis on culture, interaction and accessibility to all ages. Los Trompos, was originally commissioned through the High Museum in Atlanta, and Esrawe and Cadena created a second version specifically for the Sarofim Picnic Lawn at Discovery Green®. As an interactive, temporary artwork, Los Trompos was seamlessly integrated into the greenspace within the park.
Process
Los Trompos was created by Ignacio Cadena and Héctor Esrawe during their residency at the High Museum of Atlanta, and was designed to be a temporary installation within the context of an active urban space. Upon invitation from Discovery Green Conservancy, Esrawe and Cadena visited the park and selected the Sarofim Picnic Lawn to develop this unique site specific presentation of Los Trompos for its second iteration. Through the generous grant from the Kinder Foundation, the professional services of the Weingarten Art Group, and additional support by the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance, and the Consulate General of Mexico in Houston, Los Trompos made its Texas debut at Discovery Green®.
Additional Information
Los Trompos is an exploration into the past, present and future, constantly engaging new audiences. “The concept behind Los Trompos is based on traditional toys, their colorful expression and the way they are constructed.” said Héctor Esrawe, “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!” Los Trompos will be on display until March 22, 2016 at Discovery Green®. Discovery Green Reg. U.S. Pat. & Tm. Off.