At the request of Tomorrowland, the Danish artist Thomas Dambo has brought the trolls to life. Using old pallets, recycled wood, broken branches and fallen trees, he builds the most wonderful creations and mythical creatures who have been known to show up all over the world.
Belgium isn’t the first places the giant creatures have appeared. From Florida and Puerto Rico to Copenhagen and South Korea: you can hunt for giant trolls all over the world. Designed and built by the internationally renowned artist Thomas Dambo. In the past four years, together with his team, Thomas has created over 100 art projects made with recycled materials. While he generally exhibits his art installations in the great cities of the world, he responded extremely enthusiastically when Tomorrowland asked him to create a Magical Troll Forest in Boom.
This year, the festival will be celebrating its fifteenth anniversary and the trolls will be a gift to De Schorre and the neighbourhood in honour of the occasion. Five years ago, Tomorrowland commissioned the artist Arne Quinze to mark the tenth anniversary of the festival with ‘One World’, a permanent pedestrian and bicycle bridge that incorporates 210,000 messages from people around the globe. It is literally and figuratively a bridge between culture, nature, music, art, the neighbourhood and end the entire world.
Local residents exploring their backyards, visitors out for a day in the fresh air, walkers enjoying a beautiful patch of nature, fitness buffs who have come to De Schorre to train or Tomorrowland festivalgoers: any of them could find themselves face-to-face with a troll – hidden between the trees. Keep in mind, six of the seven creations are in areas of nature that are not used by Tomorrowland.
Deep in the woods, the trolls have also built a giant observation tower, out of thick tree trunks and fallen branches. Inside the tower lives ‘The Holy Troll’ and from the top, you have a spectacular view of De Schorre and far beyond. On a clear day, you can see 25 kilometres away. That means that, you can even spot the Atomium in Brussels on the horizon in the distance.
Thomas Dambo: “I hope that my art will inspire people to recycle and encourage them to be kind to nature and our planet“.
The 7 Trolls and the Magical Tower
a story by Thomas Dambo
They were 7 good friends both together and alone
By the river in the valley in the forest, they had home
They had seen the sun set and rise a million times
The 7 giant trolls, stood as tall as the pines.
Una and Jeures were friends for life and liked to lie in the grass
watching the skies crawling by, telling stories about the past
Mikil was strong as a dragon and always on his way
Kamiel was wearing a mask, a new for every day
Arvid liked to carve his dreams into the ancient trees
Hannes to put beautiful pearls on a line for everyone to see
Little Nora had only seen the sun rise around a million times
she was still a growing troll with her tail and young mind
They could see past the forest, to where the future emerged
They had seen civilizations crumble and rise from the dirt
They had seen the mountains grow, turn to ice, melt and burn
Seen the fish turn to birds, and seen the continents turn
And now they saw these little people, with actions so great
It could break what forever and ever had made
And the trolls got afraid, life should never be borrowed
it was meant to be shared, with a day off tomorrow
So the 7 trolls gathered on the mountain top
to find a new way, the old way had to stop
And Kamiel spoke up – we must help them get better
The little people mean well but are too young to be clever
Let’s build them a tower as tall as a troll
And show them that all beings are one in the soul
It took them all winter, by summer it was done
They then invited all the little people to come
And the little people climbed to the top and opened their eyes
And saw past the forest, the mountains, and skies
They looked to the future, with tears in their eyes
What they saw no one knows, but the eyes never lie
thomasDambo.com