Danish recycling artist Thomas Dambo is known for his incredible outdoor sculptures that depict huge, mythical trolls. For his latest project, he was commissioned by Tomorrowland Festival to transform De Schorre park in Boom, Belgium into an enchanting forest that seven of his “friendly giants” have claimed as their home.
The new installation of wooden sculptures is part of the 15th anniversary of the electronic festival as a gift to the local community. Hand-built from old shelves from a supermarket, pallets, and branches from fallen trees, Dambo had the help of over 200 people to collect the materials needed to craft his new cast of creatures. The characters range from 7 to 18 meters long and it took Dambo and his crew of 15 people around 25 weeks to build them. The various wooden figures can be found dotted throughout the forest—some appear to be busy doing chores, while others are taking it easy after a hard day’s work.
“Since I was a child I always loved to hear different fairytales and folklore stories, and dream myself away into magical worlds filled with dragons and trolls,” reveals Dambo. “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’s 7 Trolls and The Magical Tower installation tells an enchanting fairytale, where seven giant trolls invite the “little people” of the world to their peaceful life in the forest, away from human destruction. “I hope to lure people away from concrete cities and computer screens, into the wild and reconnect them with the natural world,” he says. “I build all my enormous sculptures of recycled materials to show the potential in this precious material, which is often discarded and becomes a threat to the natural world.”
Check out photos of the 7 Trolls and The Magical Tower installation below and see more of Dambo’s work on his website.
Recycling artist Thomas Dambo was recently commissioned by Tomorrowland Festival to install 7 of his friendly trolls in De Schorre park in Boom, Belgium.
The incredible outdoor sculptures are hand-built from old shelves, pallets, and branches from fallen trees.
