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Trust Oasis, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s new pop-up art space Downtown, opens at tonight’s Gallery Crawl with its first installation: a series of large, self-contained, spinning throne-like seats built of colorful polyester ropes and metal. The installation is called Los Trompos (“spinning tops”), created and conceived by Héctor Esrawe & Ignacio Cadena, and made its first appearance in Pittsburgh during this summer’s Three Rivers Arts Fest (City Paper featured one on our cover).
The five pieces at Trust Oasis (133 Seventh St.) each have distinct characteristics and color schemes. One looks literally like a spinning top (or a chunky martini glass); another resembles a carousel; others look like psychedelic mini-gazebos built by children with engineering degrees.
“The concept behind is based on an approach of traditional toys, their colorful expression, and the way they are constructed,” Esrawe wrote in an email to CP. “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.”
While the designs are undeniably thoughtful and sturdy — Esrawe says it takes about three months to build 10 units — it’s hard not to be drawn to them in a simpler, less cerebral context aka bright colors and spinning in place will always be fun for everyone. On the days that CP visited, the pieces were generally occupied but not especially crowded, with college students and children alike enjoying the peculiar structures. (Tonight’s Gallery Crawl is the official opening, but the installation has been quietly up and open for around two weeks.)
Los Trompos had its inaugural run at the Atlanta High Museum of Art in 2015, with 30 units in the museum’s main square and 10 more spread throughout Atlanta’s downtown.
“It was the first time that the installation came alive, and we confirmed that people really love interacting with the pieces,” says Esrawe. He added that his favorite part of watching people react to Los Trompos is seeing “how they make people from all ages [have] fun. Only through this interaction and collaboration [does] the work come to life.”
Los Trompos will remain open to the public until mid-December 2019, at which point the Cultural Trust will announce its next plans for the Trust Oasis.
This article appears in Sep 25 – Oct 1, 2019.
