Troll Maker

For Thomas Dambo, trash is as good as treasure. Dambo is an artist from Copenhagen, Denmark, who builds enormous sculptures out of discarded materials. Since 2014, he has been using wood from things like old fences, storage pallets, and dead branches to create whimsical troll statues around the world.

In Danish folklore, trolls live in woods and mountains and are tied to the natural world. Dambo builds many of his trolls in forests so visitors can also connect to nature. And by using only salvaged wood, he conserves natural resources. “There’s no need to cut down living trees when you can get all the used wood you need for free,” Dambo explains. He recently spoke with SuperScience about his work.

Trash is as good as treasure for Thomas Dambo. He’s an artist who lives in Copenhagen, Denmark. Dambo builds huge sculptures out of unwanted materials. He’s done this since 2014. Dambo takes things like old fences, storage pallets, and dead branches. He uses them to create fun troll statues all over the world.

Trolls are part of Danish folklore. They are imaginary creatures that live in woods and mountains and are linked with nature. Dambo builds many of his trolls in forests. That way visitors can also connect to nature. And Dambo saves natural resources by reusing old wood. “There’s no need to cut down living trees when you can get all the used wood you need for free,” Dambo says. He recently spoke with SuperScience about his work.

First, I visit the location where I want to build. I try to come up with a story for the trolls that fits the setting. I imagine what the trolls might be doing there and what they would look like. Then I make a sketch of the design.

My team and I use special tools to build the trolls’ heads, fingers, and feet at my workshop in Copenhagen. We ship those pieces to the site. Then we construct the body, arms, and legs.

As we build, we check the sculpture for weak spots and add support. This is important with our tallest sculptures, which stand about 9 meters (30 feet) high. It usually takes a team of 10 to 12 people about two weeks to assemble a sculpture.

First, I visit the place where I want to build. I come up with a story for the trolls that fits the setting. I imagine what the trolls might be doing there. I think about what they would look like. Then I make a sketch of the design.

My team and I make the trolls’ heads, fingers, and feet at my workshop in Copenhagen. We ship those pieces to the site. Then we build the body, arms, and legs. 

We check the sculpture for weak spots as we build. And we add support. This is important with our tallest sculptures. They stand about 9 meters (30 feet) high. A team of 10 to 12 people put the sculpture together. It usually takes about two weeks.

It can take up to 8,000 pounds of wood to create one troll, so we repurpose many different objects. Sometimes I’ll go to a nearby industrial area and try to find storage pallets. Usually, it costs money to dispose of pallets. Most people are happy to give them to me instead.

Other times, we get leftover wood donated from construction sites or hardware stores. Sometimes the wood we use is from nature. We recently built a troll in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. I found these twisted tree roots washed up along the banks of the nearby Snake River. We collected thousands of driftwood pieces and used them for the sculpture’s curly hair.

It can take up to 8,000 pounds of wood to make one troll. Sometimes, I’ll go to a nearby industrial area. I try to find storage pallets. Usually, it costs money to get rid of pallets. Most people are happy to give them to me instead. 

Other times, we get leftover wood donated. It comes from construction sites or hardware stores. Sometimes, the wood we use is from nature. We recently built a troll in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. I found these twisted tree roots. They were washed up along the banks of the nearby Snake River. We gathered thousands of driftwood pieces. We used them for the sculpture’s curly hair. 

One of the reasons we have so much waste is that people don’t see the value in it. They view garbage as a worthless, negative thing. If people can see the amazing things we can make out of recycled objects, maybe they’ll think twice before throwing something out.

One reason we have so much waste is that people don’t see the value in it. They view garbage as a bad thing. I want people to see the amazing things we can make out of recycled objects. Then maybe they’ll think twice before throwing something out.