Junk-haulers deliver cosmic environmental plea
**Artist's Trail of Trolls Spreads Environmental Awareness**
A captivating art project, "The Trail of a Thousand Trolls," created by Danish artist Thomas Dambo, has been making its way across the globe for the past twelve years. The project, which features 170 giant wooden troll sculptures crafted from discarded materials, is currently on display at Filoli, a historic estate in Woodside, California.
The trolls, each with their unique personality and story, are hidden in forests, mountains, jungles, and grasslands across Europe, North America, Australia, Chile, South Korea, and other countries. At Filoli, visitors can encounter six trolls named Ibbi Pip, Rosa Sunfinger, and Kamma Can, who have taken up residence among the estate's 263 hectares of forests and gardens.
Born in 1979, Dambo began creating large-scale recycled wood sculptures around 2014, gaining international acclaim with projects such as *The Six Forgotten Giants* (2016) in Denmark and *Troll Hunt* (2018) in Illinois, USA, which attracted over 1.24 million visitors in its first year.
The trolls serve not merely as sculptures but as characters in a mythical narrative casting trolls as guardians of nature. According to the lore, trolls gather every 211 years, and after becoming disillusioned with humans harming the Earth, some sought to destroy humans while a group of young trolls formed a gang to help humans learn and reconnect with nature.
Dambo's trolls aim to show humans how to live better without destroying the planet. The core message behind the project is environmental consciousness through upcycling and reconnecting people with nature. Using only recycled materials, the trolls promote sustainability and demonstrate creative reuse of waste.
The narrative and interactive nature of the sculptures encourage visitors to reflect on humanity’s relationship with the environment, fostering a kinder and more responsible approach to living with the Earth. Jeannette Weederman, a visitor at Filoli, stated that the troll sculptures bring people back to being connected to the Earth and nature.
Recent expansions include a 2023 U.S. tour named "Way of the Bird King," where Dambo and his team built 10 new trolls from over 1,000 discarded pallets, continuing the project's momentum across new sites. The exhibition attracts four-and-a-half million visitors annually, and it is made primarily from recycled materials with the help of volunteers.
The "Trolls Save the Humans" installation at Filoli is about 50km south of San Francisco and is open for visitors until November 2023. For those seeking an engaging and thought-provoking experience while immersed in nature, a visit to the trolls at Filoli is highly recommended.
- In an effort to promote sustainable living, the 'Trolls Save the Humans' installation at Filoli showcases the troll sculptures crafted from recycled materials, encouraging visitors to reconnect with nature and live harmoniously with the environment.
- The Environmental Science behind Thomas Dambo's 'Trolls Save the Humans' project highlights the importance of upcycling and reducing waste, making it a perfect addition to discussions about Home and Garden or Lifestyle topics that focus on eco-friendly practices.
- As part of his commitment to spreading environmental awareness, artist Thomas Dambo's 'Trolls Save the Humans' project tackles the issue of climate-change by integrating environmental-science lessons into his whimsical art, as each troll serves as a character that guides visitors towards a more conscious lifestyle.
