Dambo’s Recycled‑art Trolls

This summer, 12 giant trolls(巨怪) appeared at the UK's Whipsnade Zoo.

Trolls are giant creatures from Scandinavian legends that are said to live in wild places.

The trolls at Whipsnade Zoo are a bit different, however. Made entirely (完全地) from recycled materials, such as bits of old wood and fallen branches, these trolls are meant to help the zoo's visitors rethink their relationship with the natural world.

And Whipsnade Zoo isn't the only place where trolls have appeared this summer. Six trolls can also be seen at Filoli, a historic house and garden near San Francisco in the US, where they' re teaching visitors about the importance of gardens, art and recycling.And in recent months, trolls have also appeared in the US states of Wisconsin, Alabama and California, as well as in the town of Vissenbjerg, Denmark.

All the trolls are made of recycled materials, and were created by the Danish artist Thomas Dambo. Since 2014, Dambo has built 170 of these trolls and placed them in parks and gardens in over 20 countries.

Each troll comes with its own story that is meant to teach people something about caring for the Earth.

Dambo is a former hip-hop musician and graffiti (涂鸦) artist. His work as a recycle artist began in 2010—— when, having realized that not everyone likes graffiti, he decided to create art that everyone could enjoy.

Using scrap wood, he made 250 birdhouses and traveled around Denmark on his bicycle putting them up in different places.

Since then, his works have included a cardboard sailboat, a Christmas village in Copenhagen made completely out of waste materials, and a“Future Forest” in Mexico with colorful animals, flowers and trees—— all made out of plastic trash.

“Inside your trash can is the possibility to change the world if you apply some creativity and some love,” Dambo told The Washington Post in 2024.“All trash is treasure.”