Giant Wooden Trolls Have Emerged Near Chicago, As Troll Hunt Debuts at The Morton Arboretum
LISLE, Ill. (PRWEB) July 05, 2018 -- Six colossal wooden trolls have emerged on the grounds of The Morton Arboretum in Chicago’s western suburbs, captivating visitors and those who travel west along I-88 through northern Illinois. The six imaginative and awe-inspiring creatures of the new Troll Hunt exhibition are designed to encourage visitors to consider their personal responsibility as stewards of our environment.
In artist Thomas Dambo’s first large-scale U.S. exhibition, each one-of-a-kind troll is constructed from hundreds of pieces of reclaimed wood, including battered boards, fallen trees and branches, and the remains of pallets and packing crates. Measuring 15- to 20 -feet-tall—one troll reclining on his back measures a striking 60 feet long—these creatures are part of an international series, which started with the Six Forgotten Giants, mammoth wooden creatures hidden throughout the artist’s home city of Copenhagen.
Built to be both mischievous and thought-provoking, the trolls of Troll Hunt act as guardians of the surrounding forest. While they share the Arboretum’s desire to care for the trees, they seem suspicious of humans. Interactive elements of the exhibition serve to highlight this curiosity about the people they encounter. Sneaky Socks Alexa kneels near a “trap,” a simple wooden crate propped open with a log, waiting to catch a human for study. Furry Ema sits next to a tree, dangling a net that visitors can climb into to be “captured.” Joe the Guardian, his hand held to his brow, stands high atop a hill overlooking the interstate, at a literal and figurative intersection of nature and modern life. Visitors are encouraged to interact with the trolls, collecting clues to find the hideout, the trolls’ nighttime lair.
“I have one clear mission in all of my work, which is to show people that it is important to take care of our planet,” says Dambo about his art, which has been showcased in cities around the world. “My work is designed to bring people out into nature and show them how you can use waste in a better way.”
“People around the world have admired Thomas Dambo’s recycled wood creations in his native Denmark and on social media, and we are thrilled to host his first-ever large-scale exhibition in the United States,” adds Sue Wagner, vice president of education and information at The Morton Arboretum. “Walking through the woods and coming upon an immense troll among the trees is a one-of-a-kind experience. Our visitors have been enamored by this unique exhibition, which conveys the message that our natural spaces are precious and in need of our collective care and protection.”
The trolls are expected to remain at the Arboretum through the summer of 2019. For more information about Troll Hunt at The Morton Arboretum, visit mortonarb.org/troll-hunt.
The Morton Arboretum thanks sponsors International Paper, Marquette Companies, and Plante Moran for their generous support of Troll Hunt.
About Thomas Dambo
Thomas Dambo collects and reuses wood that would otherwise be wasted for his whimsical, epic-scale sculptures, which he has erected from Denmark to Australia. He got his start turning scrap wood into birdhouses–some 3,500 so far in cities from Beirut to Berlin–and now his art can be found around the globe. Each of his pieces convey the importance of sustainability, a mission shared by The Morton Arboretum as it works toward a greener, healthier, and more beautiful world through the planting, care of and conservation of trees. Dambo may be best known for the Six Forgotten Giants, enormous characters created from discarded wood pallets scattered throughout his home city of Copenhagen.
About The Morton Arboretum
The Morton Arboretum is an internationally recognized outdoor tree museum and tree research center located in Lisle, Illinois. As the champion of trees, the Arboretum is committed to scientifically-informed action, both locally and globally, and encouraging the planting and conservation of trees for a greener, healthier, more beautiful world. On 1,700 acres are 222,000 plant specimens representing 4,500 different kinds of plants, along with specialty gardens, educational exhibits, the award-winning Children’s Garden, 16 miles of hiking trails and the Visitor Center, featuring The Arboretum Store and the Ginkgo Restaurant and Café. The Morton Arboretum is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization, welcoming 1.1 million visitors annually and serving 46,200 member households in 2017. Learn more at mortonarb.org.
Kelley Regan, The Morton Arboretum, http://www.mortonarb.org, 630-725-2103, [email protected]
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