High Museum of Art in Atlanta unveils the spinning tops installation

The Sifly Piazza at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta has been filled with a spectacular display of vibrant colours.

As part of the museum’s initiative to explores how engagement with art and design can extend beyond the Museum’s walls through dynamic installations, Contemporary Mexican designers Héctor Esrawe and Ignacio Cadena were commissioned to create an interactive outdoor installation on the Woodruff Arts Centre campus. In response to this, the duo created Los Trompos, meaning The Spinning Tops, a large-scale interactive design installation.

The design draws its inspiration from the form of a spinning top, translating in to more than 30 three-dimensional, larger than-life tops in a variety of colors and shapes. All the structures are created in different colors and shapes and are covered in colorful fabric woven by Mexican Artisans using traditional textile techniques.

“The concept behind -Los Trompos- is based on an approach of traditional toys, their colorful expression and the way they are constructed. We wanted to talk about the traditions and skills of the craftsmen in Mexico, as an inheritance of our culture. We like the idea of translating these techniques into new symbols” said Esrawe.

The museum has partnered with Midtown Alliance to expand this interactive design installation to seven different locations on the streets of Midtown.

On view April 24 through Nov. 29, 2015, “Los Trompos” (“The Spinning Tops”) will create a destination outside the Museum where patrons can enjoy recreation, social interaction, performances, art-making activities and special events co-organized with local partner institutions.

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Prototype: Gerardo Domínguez
Photography: Abel Klainbaum, Esrawe + Cadena, Jaime Navarro, Jonathan Hillyer

Héctor Esrawe 

+ Ignacio Cadena