LYNNFIELD — MarketStreet has always been on the cutting edge when it comes to whimsical displays of public art.
From its spring display of a flock of 1,100 pink flamingos to “Together,” local artist’s Mia Cross’ large-scale mural encouraging diversity and inclusion, to an upcoming “Rainbow Garden,” MarketStreet is stepping it up a notch to bring smiles to visitors’ faces.
Its newest initiative is “Los Trompos”, a wildly creative and colorful international art installation that is sure to make heads spin — literally.
“Los Trompos” — “spinning tops” in Spanish — consists of eight larger-than-life, three-dimensional spinning tops in a variety of colors and shapes. The installation was created by award-winning Mexican art-and-design team Héctor Esrawe and Ignacio Cadena.
Owned by DTE Energy Beacon Park Foundation and The Downtown Detroit Partnership, “Los Trompos” will be located on The Green, MarketStreet’s outdoor event area, from June 1-27.
“We are so thrilled to bring this joyful art to the North Shore, and to mark our first international art installation at MarketStreet Lynnfield,” said MarketStreet Marketing Manager Annie Healy. “We have admired Esrawe (and) Cadena from afar, and we were able to first experience their creativity this winter with “Mi Casa, Your Casa 2.0”, which debuted with great success at another WS Development property, Boston Seaport.”
Healy said Esrawe and Cadena are two leading art designers in Mexico. Together, they found their inspiration for “Los Trompos” in the form of a spinning top, a toy popular with children around the world. The colorful material used to create each structure works with vibrant fabric woven in a traditional style by Mexican artisans, stretching over the “spinning-top” structures. Each sculpture acts as a gathering place for relaxation, social interaction and entertainment. Collaborating with friends and family, visitors can delve into their inner child, spinning the tops on their bases. Each top seats up to four adults, or up to eight children.
“The concept behind ‘Los Trompos’ is based on an approach to 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,” Esrawe and Cadena said in a statement. “We like the idea of translating these techniques into new symbols.
“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. ‘Los Trompos’ is a place of color and joy.”
Mia Cross’ “Together” mural, which made its debut Tuesday, is located next to Capital One Café. Designed to communicate a message of diversity and inclusion, it serves to reinforce that notion that MarketStreet is a space that everyone can enjoy and that all races, sexual orientations, religions, ethnicities and abilities are welcome.
MarketStreet Lynnfield is celebrating the arrival of “Together” with two giveback opportunities. For every photo snapped in front of the mural from May 28-June 4 and posted to social media, tagged with #TogetheratMarketStreet, MarketStreet will donate $1 to Lynnfield 4 Love, a local charity whose goal is to create a more connected community by fostering an appreciation and understanding of diversity and promoting kindness, equality and justice. Each visitor who posts a photo will also be entered to win $200 to enjoy at their favorite shops at MarketStreet Lynnfield. Guests will also have a chance to register for professional photo shoots by Halo Creative Studios in front of the mural this summer.
In celebration of Pride Month, MarketStreet Lynnfield will partner with North Shore Pride, Lynnfield 4 Love, Boys & Girls Club of Stoneham & Wakefield, Lynnfield Art Guild, Lynnfield Recreation, A Healthy Lynnfield and more to plant a “Rainbow Garden,” filled with colorful arcs hand-painted by local friends and family. The garden will be displayed beginning June 2 through June 30.
“We hope that ‘Los Trompos’ will spark joy for our guests, inspiring them to play no matter what age,” Healy said. “Coupled with ‘Together’ and ‘Pride Rainbow Garden,’ these three art installations represent not only our continued commitment to the arts, but also our desire to be a destination where people of all kinds can feel comfortable and find something to enjoy.”
For more information on coming attractions at MarketStreet, go to www.marketstreetlynnfield.com.
