Imagine Exhibitions, a leader in worldwide travelling exhibitions and entertainment, has partnered with Thomas Dambo, a recycle artist based in Denmark.
Together, Imagine Exhibitions and Dambo will develop an outdoor touring exhibition featuring Dambo’s troll sculptures that are made from recycled materials.
Troll statues made from recycled materials
The exhibition will build upon the stories around the 75 giant tolls that Dambo has made. It will also create a new story that combines fairytales and art. The exhibition aims to encourage visitors to see the vital importance of nature, climate change and more.
Dambo’s troll sculptures are between 16-50 feet tall and feature in parks and other locations around the world. The artist uses wooden pallets and fallen branches from the location of the troll.
The aim of Dambo’s work is to encourage people to explore our relationship with the planet. To do that, he created folk tales for his trolls that look at our relationship with the planet in an approachable way.
In 2018, Dambo’s trolls featured in a temporary exhibition at The Morton Arboretum outside of Chicago. Thanks to the exhibition, the Arboretum had its highest visitors numbers in its history with 1.26 million people visiting in 2018.
Despite the success of this exhibition, it was closed in January 2021. President & CEO of Imagine Exhibitions, Tom Zaller, then reached out to Dambo to create this touring exhibition.
Message of troll sculptures aligns with zoos and arboretums
“Once I saw Thomas Dambo’s giant trolls, I was instantly inspired and delighted,” says Zaller. “Then, when I learned more about his mission to use his materials, methods, sculptures, and associated fairy tales to tell a story about conservation and climate change, I immediately knew that I wanted to work with him to develop a touring experience.”
“Thomas’ vision aligns so well with the missions of zoos, arboretums, and like-minded visitor attractions—the travelling trolls exhibition will be a wonderful opportunity to surprise, delight, and inspire visitors around the world.”
The new exhibition will aim to tour zoos, arboretums, gardens and other outdoor visitor attractions. Dambo’s work will also be available as commissions for permanent and semi-permanent installations.
Dambo said that “I’m constantly working with—so to speak—stretching the materials as far as possible, elevating the life and value of recycled materials through art. Doing a travelling exhibition together with Imagine Exhibitions makes so much sense. It is a brilliant way to spread the message about recycling further and to have shorter exhibitions without turning the sculptures into trash again. Together, I’m sure we’ll bring a lot of good energy to the world—I’m looking forward to this adventure!”
Imagine Exhibitions recently launched a new Harry Potter touring exhibition which will tour the world in 2022.
