‘One topples, the Other Falls’ is a series of five large outdoor sculptures, based on spinning tops from various eras, decorated with different 20-century patterns and matching colours. A toy children would typically play with in the streets (some even keeping their spin for over 14 metres or more), the spinning top could be seen as an instrument for exploration and indirect play; leading you to new and exciting places.
Originating in the 1970’s, indirect play was an important and prominent concept in the reimagining of playgrounds into playscapes. This included the introduction of objects to play with that didn’t directly tell you how to play with them and offered a wide range of open-ended options that allowed people to be creative and use their imagination.
Some pressed into Styrofoam moulds, others built by hand, ‘One topples, the Other Falls’ uses tactility and scale as a way to create ornamental objects that invite a form of playfulness again.