Abstract Sculptures of DC: Trigadilly
The sculpture's whimsical name matches the bright colors and large shapes used throughout its structure.
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Chas Colburn’s Trigadilly received its name from the phrase he used to describe the issue of balancing the large sculpture on its small base: “a dilly of a trig problem.” The 35-foot tall, 6½ ton sculpture does not feel intimidating, however, but rather light and whimsical. Constructed of painted steel, the sculpture consists of three larger pieces, with a long band of steel curving upwards with a smaller triangular piece holding up the third piece, a hollow wheel. The three balance on one another as if the wheel could roll off at any moment. Floating on one side, a large rope of smooth steel winds along the main structure towards the sky, curving and looping upward.
Commissioned by Greenbaum & Rose Associates, the developers wanted a sculpture placed outside the CNN Building being constructed at the time. These same developers were also responsible for Ken Wyten’s Composition for the Axemen being placed next door at the CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield Building in 1989. Colburn was selected for the project and worked through Zenith Gallery to complete the commission.
This site is a stop on the Abstract Sculptures of DC tour.
