Spotlight: Danish Artist Makes Woodland Trolls from Reclaimed Wood

This weekend I had the pleasure of visiting one of 6 large sculptural trolls that make up the NW Trolls: Way of the Bird King exhibit. The trolls are made from reclaimed wood materials by Danish artist Thomas Dambo. For the West Seattle troll, much of it appears to be scrap lumber and shingles, and the flute she's playing is from a large part of driftwood. 

Each troll tells a story (this one is playing the song of the orcas), and even the overall project tells a great story. It is sponsored by the Scan Design Foundation whose mission is to support Danish-American relations, and they partnered with local indigenous tribes to support the building of the trolls. Thomas' goal is to show that with collaboration and community, we can build large things of beauty, even cities, with materials that would normally be considered waste.

This project is comprised of 6 trolls in the Pacific Northwest: 3 are currently live in Portland, Bainbridge Island, and now West Seattle. 3 are coming soon to Vashon Island, Issaquah, and Ballard.

To visit the West Seattle troll, head to Lincoln Park (the park just north of the Fauntleroy ferry dock), and walk down to the beach. The troll (named Bruunidun) is nestled among the trees next to Colman Pool. 

Here it appears that the driftwood flute is laying by her feet, and perhaps she's calling to the orcas with a conch shell. 

At closer look, she has such amazing detail, from the branches that make her hair to the small hoop earring she's wearing.

Every finger and toe is carefully designed. Decorations, such as her shell necklace and bracelet were contributed by Muckleshoot tribe artist John "Coyote" Halliday.

This selfie is for scale. With the other people beside her, you can see that Bruunidun stands over 15' tall. 

If you are able, go visit Bruunidun in West Seattle, or view more photos of the West Seattle troll and a short video with the artist from the unveiling at the West Seattle blog.

Learn more about the artist and see a worldwide Troll Map. 

Now... this type of project is not a DIY for the standard thoughtful consumer, as Thomas has years of experience, but perhaps it will inspire you for smaller reuse projects from scrap wood. Other ways you can help: 

• Support the artist directly through his online shop. For example, in this hardcover art book featuring "hundreds of  photos, original poems and fairy tales, and behind-the scenes highlights, I tell how my crew and I—with the help of thousands of volunteers—scavenged over 250 tons of scrap wood to build a trolliverse spanning 17 countries (and counting!)."

• Visit the artworks to show your support.

• Tell your municipality that you support this type of artwork and want to see more in your area.

Happy Troll Hunting!

Digest: Best of Buy Nothing

One of my favorite ways to participate in reuse is through the "gifting" economy, and primarily through Buy Nothing. Buy Nothing groups are local to your city or neighborhood, to make it super convenient to pickup or drop off items. If you haven't yet, check out the website to identify your local group; there are more mature groups on Facebook, as well as a less mature app.

On Buy Nothing, the only rule is that you "buy nothing", and you can both post items to give, respond to other people's posts to receive, or post "ask"s if you want to try to receive something from a neighbor before resorting to shopping. This is the modern version of "borrow a cup of sugar from your neighbor".

To show how much value these these types of groups can create in your community, this is just a sampling of my activity over the last 6 years:

Received

Tons of clothing. I especially loved this Liz Claiborne Rose Sweater (~ value $44), this plaid shirt ($23), this top ($39), and this purse ($65). 

Occasionally, folks would pass on new or like new items that were of high value, such as these Mugsy jeans ($108) or these Taos sandals ($125)

The most amusing item I was gifted (click to see videos!) was this ball pit for Meeko ($40), and the most unique item I was received was when someone smoked too much goat meat. (This is how we try new things with no financial risk. :) )

Overall, I have received well over $600 worth of value from my neighbors. 

 

Gave

40 deli containers similar to Gladware (~$60 value)

120+ empty egg cartons ($50)

100+ wine corks ($20) 

240+ shipping and moving boxes (up to $1200 value, depending on if people bought these retail or wholesale)

3 "ugly" holiday sweaters ($60)

7.5 ft Kirkland pre-lit Christmas tree ($500) along with ornament and star topper

Glass patio table ($40)

Many previous model electronics (ex. Fitbit and DVD player) and accessories when I upgrade

Lots of miscellaneous kitchen accessories, art supplies, and picture frames

Overall, I have given over $2200 worth of value to my neighbors, much of which most people would consider "trash" or just recycle.

Between giving and receiving, my participation in Buy Nothing has recirculated over $2800 of goods in the last 6 years. Now consider the possibilities when you multiple by all the members (7.5 Million!) in the group and all the groups (128000 Buy Nothing communities)!

Pretty for Pennies

After a few years of schlubbing at home in t-shirts (thanks COVID and WFH), I wanted to add some more flirty tops to my wardrobe. Maybe I wanted to prove to myself that I wasn't old and hadn't given up, but it was just the slump of not going out every day and *having* to make an effort. 

In comes thredUP (of course), and a purchase of a couple puff-sleeve, plunging neckline blouses. I love this green floral-print Topshop blouse. Maybe a little too plunging, I paired it with a camisole, but maybe I'll get brave for date night. :)

The back is also a deep V, as well as has a slit in the peplum, so it's essentially secured with a few cute buttons as the waist and a tie at the neck.

The detail is a little more visible in this listing photo. And what a steal at $19.99 (72% off)!

I paired the blouse with jeans (free from Buy Nothing), and sandals (free hand-me-down from Aunt T), for a comfy summer-day-out 100% second hand outfit. 

 What are you buying second-hand this summer to complete a new outfit?

Charity Shops

thrift store: American bucket term for second-hand stores. Often refers to the business model where items are donated to the store, and the store may be a non-profit serving a specific cause.

consignment shop: American term for second-hand stores where the business model is for items to be sold to the store instead of donated. Typically for-profit and dissociated from any social causes.

charity shop: British term for non-profit second-hand stores that serve a specific cause.

opportunity (op) shop: Aussie/New Zealand term for non-profit second-hand stores that serve a specific cause.

pre-loved: a sweeter way of saying "used"

Thoughtful Consumer rule #82: When exploring another town, check out their second-hand scene. There are so many different styles in different regions, that you'll find things you could never find back home, and you may get to bring home a discounted souvenir!

I recently when on a trip to the UK, and London and Edinburgh are *extremely* supportive of second-hand, with charity shops throughout the cities. (Learn the local lingo: they looked at me funny when I said "thrift store".) In the UK, it seemed the stores were much more transparent about exactly what cause they were supporting, for example, the shop I went into was named Royal Trinity Hospice, and others were named after supporting children with autism, etc.

Royal Trinity Hospice was a cute store, well-decorated like a local boutique, with a few main sections: general second-hand clothing, luxury brands, and finally company donations (ie. new items that were leftover from last season).

 

To give you an example of the type of savings you might find, see this splashy linen shift dress. Similar Paul Smith dresses go for approx 300 new, making this like-new dress about 75% off.

 

I was happy to discover this sweet rose-gold necklace in the "last season company donations" section, meaning it's completely brand new but wasn't able to be sold previously. At just £7 (~$9), it was a bargain.

A little different from my standard "single pendant on a chain", I like the delicate, cascading circles.

The store had reminders throughout of why we want to shop second-hand:

Save an item from the landfill, all while looking stylish and donating to charity? Count me in!