Two giant trolls are coming to Rhode Island this spring — an art installment of international fame by renowned Danish artist Thomas Dambo.
The trolls, which are made of recycled and reclaimed wood, will be unveiled at Ninigret Park in Charlestown in May. The initiative is part of a push from the South County Tourism Council to bring more visitors to the Ocean State.
“We hope to have a few more trolls in the future to connect the state and form a Rhode Island ‘troll trail,’” said Louise Bishop, South County Tourism Council president, in a statement.
Dambo’s recycled art has been featured in more than 20 countries, including China, Brazil, Australia, Germany, France, and South Korea. In the United States, Dambo’s trolls have drawn crowds in Illinois, Florida, and Kentucky. Five of his trolls, including one that stands nearly three stories tall, are tucked away in the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay.
“I am very much looking forward to coming to Rhode Island,” Dambo said in a statement. “My wife comes from New England, so I really love the area. I came last year for a site visit, I got to see so much of the beautiful area. I have a good idea for an installation with some really big stones. And if I have an obsession, it is that I like big stones.”
Dambo and his team will arrive in South County this month to start building the trolls, and they are looking for help from volunteers. (Interested volunteers can email jcordio@southcountyri.com.)
The imaginative artwork transports visitors to a magical world while conveying the importance of forest preservation, conservation, and responsibility to the environment.
“My mission is Waste No More,” Dambo said. “Our world is drowning in trash, while we are running out of natural resources. I spend my life showing the world that beautiful things can be made out of trash. I give new life to discarded materials by turning them into large-scale artworks. My aim at the moment is to build 1,000 Trolls using recycled materials all over the world.”
Brittany Bowker can be reached at brittany.bowker@globe.com. Follow her @brittbowker and also on Instagram @brittbowker.