Thomas Dambo and his team of troll builders have returned to Rhode Island to build three new trolls this month. The trolls are part of a continuing project by Dambo to create a “Troll Map” across the Ocean State, encouraging people to search and discover each of the trolls hidden around the state.
"(We’re) building three new sculptures in North Kingstown, East Providence, and Arcadia State Park” Dambo says while sitting on top of a boulder in Arcadia State Park, the site of where one of the trolls will be built, “I try and make them all secrets, but we also make it secret for people to open up their eyes and go explore a little bit around where they live.”
Dambo gave a tour of all three locations where the new trolls are being built on Wednesday. One named “Iver Mudslider” will be at Ryan Park in North Kingstown, with work set to begin this week. At Arcadia State Park, work was just starting on Wednesday on “Young Boulder”, and in East Providence Dambo’s team is several days into building “Mrs. Skipper”. Dambo says each troll incorporates the rock formations and boulders he was drawn to when visiting Rhode Island for the project.
“I try always to set the bar really high to try and achieve crazy things”, Dambo explains about his process for creating and designing each troll concept. He and his team have built at least one troll in 21 states in the U.S. and over a hundred more globally.
Take, for example, Mrs. Skipper, the most ambitious troll he’s built in Rhode Island. She’s holding a 28-foot-long rusty lifeboat over her head. But that isn’t where the concept started.
“It went from wrestling an excavator to holding a car (and now) to holding a lifeboat.”
Dambo describes himself as a recycle artist. He says the goal of these trolls is to use only recycled and scrap materials in order to bring awareness to global waste and over-consumption. To keep true to his mission, Dambo says he located the lifeboat for Mrs. Skipper on Facebook Marketplace.
"(We) got it from Boston on Facebook Marketplace for $500, and then (it was) a whole lot of hassle to get it down here and get it installed. But now that little rusty lifeboat became like a monumental thing here. And then for the first time, I’m building a troll entirely in whiskey bourbon barrels that are charred black on the inside.”
The three newest trolls are expected to be completed by August 24, which coincides with an art talk Dambo will be holding at East Providence High School the same day at 5:00 p.m.
Rhode Island PBS profiled Dambo and the first two trolls built at Ninigret Park in Charlestown for ART inc. The story won a Boston/New England Regional Emmy in the Arts/Entertainment category. Arts & Culture Producer Ross Lippman was able to show Dambo the award during his visit.
