Los Trompos, a unique, larger-than-life art installation, has been welcomed to Iowa City for the summer. The exhibit includes three-dimensional spinning tops that are made in a variety of fun colors and shapes. They function as creative pieces of artwork as well as places where people can sit down and relax.
Five Los Trompos tops can be found in the downtown Pedestrian Mall. Each of them is covered in fabric, woven in a traditional Mexican style, and can also rotate from its base, serving as fun entertainment for those who visit.
“It’s natural to see them [Los Trompos] down here. Seeing the way the public interacts with them is super fun. Everyone always has a big smile on their face when spinning around on those tops,” Christopher Hunter said.
Hunter works at the Iowa City Downtown District as its director of marketing. When choosing different installations for downtown, Hunter and the Downtown District decide what sorts of exhibits will fit in with the city and community.
“We’re always looking to see what new types of public art exhibits are popular around the nation and around the world,” Hunter said.
In order to bring Los Trompos to the Hawkeye state, the Downtown District worked closely with art production company Creos, which is based in Montreal in Canada. Los Trompos will be the third such installation to be brought to Iowa City.
“We have a community-oriented vision here at Creos. We have to think about how we can create something cohesive that is also something people can enjoy,” Director of Business Development and Co-Founder of Creos Alexandre Lemieux said.
Lemieux and Creos have been working closely with Iowa City ever since 2021.
“One of the things that is very exciting about working with the city is the fact that it’s very people-orientated,” Lemieux said. “Our approach is to put people first and give them something special.”
Los Trompos was first created by Latin American artists Hector Esrawe and Ignacio Cadena after the project was commissioned by the High Museum of Arts in Atlanta, Georgia.
“We are inspired by ordinary objects that surround us. We are influenced by our context and our everyday activities, which allow us to visit and share with different cultures and different individuals,” Esrawe and Cadena said in a press release last month. “We are inspired by history, art, music, architecture, books, and the city itself. We firmly believe that these are the goals of design: to weave and generate interactions, human connections, and emotions, to relate to users, and to enhance and translate our inheritance and skills into new expressions.”
The goal behind Los Trompos was to show off the skill and craftsmanship of Mexican artists through traditional toys and vibrant colors. The spinning tops are also able to fit beautifully into many different cities, as each city brings its own unique flavor and environment.
“Having Los Trompos in Iowa City versus having it in Miami or having it in Montreal — it really gives a contextual backdrop that is so different,” Lemieux said.
Lemieux highlighted the idea that summertime is a great time to visit an exhibit such as Los Trompos. This is due to the array of colors displayed within the artwork as well as the availability for local children to come visit.
Los Trompos opened to the public on June 22 alongside the Downtown Block Party and will be displayed in the Pedestrian Mall until Aug. 5.