Thomas Dambo's sculptures: the forgotten giants

Thomas Dambo is a Danish artist who created trolls, giant sculptures made from recycled wood, around Copenhagen, first in 2016-17. The sculptures have become so popular that a map has been created of them, and thousands of tourists visit them every year within a treasure hunt experience. Since then, Dambo has created works in other countries, and in total, about 150 of his sculptures can be seen around the world, but the Copenhagen trolls are still iconic, as they were the first, and each one has its own little story.

Each of the giants is made from fallen trees, scrap wood, discarded furniture, or even crates collected from landfills, with the help of volunteers. The artist therefore places particular emphasis on recycling, and also applies the environmental perspective to the sculptures' other functions: for example, there is a troll with bird feeders placed inside.

The sculptor's no-holds-barred goal is to use his works to draw attention to the need to use recycled materials and, in general, to environmental awareness.

And why do these statues depict trolls?

Dambo stated in an interview that the world of folklore and fairy tales has had a great influence on his life. Trolls are benevolent giants who are concerned about the future of humans, and their goal is to make us realize that if we continue our current way of life, we will rush into destruction.

The artist's belief is that the accumulation of garbage will be fatal for humanity, so he wants to show that beautiful things can be made from waste. In this way, even used materials can be given a new life and find a long-term function within the framework of art.

Most of the giants were placed in forested areas or meadows, outside the city, thus encouraging people to go hiking and nature walks.

However, Green George, my personal favorite, is located in Christiania. It is actually a gift from the artist to the residents of Freetown  Christiania.

Green George in Christiania

Interestingly, each troll was named after a volunteer, a person who worked on the construction of the statue.

Thomas Dambo's sculptures, known as the "six forgotten giants":

• Sleeping Louis

• Hill Top Trine

• Oscar under the Bridge

• Little Tilde

• Thomas on the hill

• Teddy Bear