Danish artist Thomas Dambo builds giant trolls out of reclaimed wood and hides them around the world. His latest installation took place at De Schorre in Boom, Belgium for the electronic festival Tomorrowland. Dambo has created these unique sculptures in the hopes of taking people’s attention away from the technological distractions of today’s society, and lure them into the wild to reconnect to the natural world. The work pictured here is named “The 7 Trolls and The Magical Tower”.
It’s barely visible from outside of the forest… it’s the large shapes draw you closer.
As you approach, the statue of a troll becomes more clear.
All of these creatures are made from re-purposed wood “to show the potential in this precious material, which is often discarded and becomes a threat to the natural world.” Dambo states.
Ranging from 23 to 59 feet tall, they certainly stand out in the forest.
The re-purposed wood mostly comes from old supermarket shelves, pallets, and fallen trees.
This installation took Dambo and a team of 15 people about 25 weeks to build.
Over 200 volunteers helped collect the materials to build these mythical creatures.
Each troll at De Schorre is pictured doing a different task, or leisurely taking in its surroundings.
This troll, Hannes, is stringing pearls “for the whole world to see” as stated in Dambo’s rap.
They all have their own names and stories associated with them.
The 7 Trolls and The Magical Tower is a fairytale, accompanied to the sculpture is a poem also written by Dambo. It through these two mediums the tale is told.
The poem is rapped by Dambo, leading to a better understanding of the message behind the large sculptures.
This video is of his recitation of The 7 Trolls and The Magical Tower.
The installation marks the 15th anniversary of Tomorrowland, a Belgium based festival, as a gift to the local community.
Dambo has also installed several different troll sculptures across the world along with numerous other works made of plastic, wood, or cardboard.
In total, the artist has created 23 trolls to date.
In addition to trolls, Dambo has constructed numerous birdhouses, wall art, street art, and much more.
More info: Thomas Dambo
“Since I was a child, I always loved to hear about different fairytale characters and folklore stories, and dream myself away into magical worlds filled with dragons and real giants. As a teenager, I started writing my own stories as a rapper, putting out records, touring and creating a universe, where I could tell these stories. In my latest project, I combined all of the above. Recycling, Rapping, Nature, and Sculptures.” Dambo comments on his work.