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!