Botanic Garden trolls arrive to save humanity from itself
by Stephanie Morino
Renowned Danish sculpture artist Thomas Dambo has created a global campaign to twist our idea of trash — from seeing it as something that should be quickly discarded and never thought of again to a valuable, life-giving resource.
How he’s done it may surprise you.
Thomas has created more than 125 large, whimsical trolls made out of recycled wood – primarily shipping pallets — in more than 17 countries. His, “TROLLS: Save the Humans,” is on exhibit at South Coast Botanic Garden through January 14, 2024.
“I build trolls because trolls are the protectors of the natural world, they are the voice of the plants, and the animals who desperately need a voice in this world that’s run by humans,” says Dambo. “I think people of all ages relate to the trolls because we all like imagination, and fairytales, and we all need a little bit of whimsy in our life. I think it’s great to talk about something really serious in a cute and funny way so it doesn’t become too scary.”
Each of Thomas Dambo’s trolls has a unique personality. Sometimes the trolls are inspired by the location they are in, and other times they are part of a larger fairytale, like that of “Save the Humans.” In this story, the elder trolls have gotten together and decided they should eat us humans. They see what we’re doing to the world and think it’s time to intervene. But six younger trolls think humans are worth saving. Each troll in this exhibit has something to teach us humans about connecting with nature and, hopefully to convince the older trolls not to eat us.
Storytelling is central to Dambo’s art. Growing up in Denmark, trolls were a folklore tradition. Sometimes they were good, and sometimes they were evil. He chose to keep the lure alive with his art not just by creating the physical trolls but creating his own fairytales around them.
So how does this fairytale end?
“I don’t know how the fairytale will end,” he says. “It’s up to us, I hope we will leave a beautiful world for the coming generations.”
The world is currently “drowning in trash,” he says. To create the trolls that are part of the Garden’s exhibit, he used about 800 shipping pallets. Had he not used them for his art, they likely would have ended up in a landfill, just like the one South Coast Botanic Garden is built on top of.
So while you walk through the Garden’s 87 acres on the journey to meet each of the 6 trolls here to save us, Dambo wants you to think about trash — the trash right below your feet, and your own trash at home and at work.
“Look what’s inside your trash can. Take responsibility for your trash,” Dambo says. “Take a photo of it and share it with the world so you can try to find people for whom the contents of your trash can is a treasure so you don’t end up throwing someone’s dream out.”
Thomas Dambo’s TROLLS: Save the Humans is included with the Garden’s general admission, through January 14, 2024. South Coast Botanic Garden is located at 26300 Crenshaw Blvd., Palos Verdes Peninsula. Pen