A dozen towering wooden troll sculptures will be hidden in the forests, pathways and wildlife habitats of two parks in Pierce County this fall — joining five popular giant trolls installed in Western Washington that regularly attract visitors.
Created by Danish artist Thomas Dambo in partnership with exhibition producer Imagine, the 12 new sculptures make up “TROLLS: A Field Study,” an outdoor arts installation that will be on view to visitors at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium and Northwest Trek Wildlife Park from Oct. 15 to Jan. 24.
PDZA and Northwest Trek — in Tacoma and Eatonville, Pierce County, respectively — are the first locations in the Pacific Northwest to host these trolls, according to a news release. (They were previously displayed at The North Carolina Arboretum and South Coast Botanic Garden on Palos Verdes Peninsula, Calif.) Northwest Trek will host eight of the trolls, while its sister zoo PDZA will welcome the other four. Access to find the trolls, which hover between 7 to 9 feet each, is included with general admission or membership.
The sculptures — led by a troll leader called Taks — were built with reclaimed materials such as fallen branches, scrap wood, pallets and twigs. “A Field Study” invites guests to “slow down, explore outdoors and see the environment through a new lens,” according to the release.
“We’re always looking for new ways to connect people with nature, wildlife, and the outdoors,” Matt Mauer, president of the Parks Tacoma Board of Commissioners, said in the release. “‘TROLLS: A Field Study’ brings together art, imagination, and environmental stewardship in a way that feels perfectly at home in the forests and landscapes of the Pacific Northwest at Northwest Trek and Point Defiance Zoo.”
Dambo, who lives just outside Copenhagen, is known for his large-scale recycled-art installations in over 17 countries, according to the release. The artist, in 2023, installed troll sculptures in Ballard, West Seattle, Issaquah, Bainbridge Island, Vashon Island and Portland for his “Northwest Trolls: Way of the Bird King” exhibition.
Since receiving international acclaim for his wooden trolls in 2014, Dambo has scattered more than 180 troll sculptures across the world.
“In the beginning, it wasn’t specifically a troll project,” Dambo said in a 2023 interview with The Seattle Times. “It’s still not about the trolls as much as it’s about saving the world from drowning in trash by showcasing how beautiful and valuable our trash is.”
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