Aullwood Audubon Nature Center is proud to announce the arrival of Bo, Bodil and Bibbi, and their troll-sized bird nest. These giant trolls by Thomas Dambo have found their home in Dayton, Ohio, and are ready for the public to get to know them. “The Troll That Hatched an Egg” is one of only nine Dambo-created exhibitions in the United States and Puerto Rico.
Dambo, the world’s leading recycle artist from Copenhagen, Denmark, has been helping giant trolls come to life around the world for over 10 years. He worked with a team of local volunteers as well as members of his artistic team to prepare for the trolls’ arrival at Aullwood using locally sourced materials to create the sculptures.
“Everything I make I try to make out of things laying around. This way I can build really big things with a very small footprint or impact,” says Dambo. “For the nest that the trolls are building, we’ve been able to collect dead limbs from around Aullwood. We made Bibbi’s wings from old plastic totes that we cut and stained to look like tanned hide.”
Dambo hopes that his trolls bring people into nature to explore. His secondary goal is that people see how scraps and garbage can be recycled into something meaningful and beautiful. He designs the trolls and writes the stories that explain who they are and what they’re doing.
“The Troll That Hatched an Egg” tells the story of Bo, Bodil and Bibbi, a family of trolls who live at Aullwood Audubon. When Bibbi hears stories from her special friend the Cardinal, she wants to see more of the world around her and wishes to learn to fly.
Birds, nature, ecosystems and conservation are all central to Aullwood Audubon’s mission, which is reflected in the trolls’ story. The exhibition also pays tribute to Dayton’s place in the history of aviation and the wonder of so many children who see birds (and airplanes) fly for the first time. In fact, the Wright brothers studied the flight of birds as they worked to design the first airplane. It makes sense that a young troll would also choose birds as her teachers.
“The trolls are bringing excitement and whimsy to Aullwood,” says Alexis R. Faust, executive director of Aullwood Audubon. “We’re so glad that Thomas Dambo and his team will help visitors rediscover nature and spend more time outdoors through this amazing installation. A significant part of our work here at Aullwood revolves around preserving habitat for birds. I see the trolls as protectors of the birds, and they help remind us that we need to do the same.”
“The Troll That Hatched an Egg” is a permanent new exhibit included with paid daily admission or membership at Aullwood Audubon. To plan your visit with the trolls, go to Aullwood.org.
Aullwood Audubon is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. and on Sundays from 1 – 5 p.m. (closed Mondays). For the Thanksgiving holiday, Aullwood Audubon is closed Thursday, November 25 and Friday, November 26. The installation has four sites, two at Aullwood Farm and two at Aullwood Nature Center.
Aullwood Nature Center is part of Audubon Great Lakes, a regional office of the National Audubon Society and is located at 1000 Aullwood Road, Dayton, OH 45414. Aullwood Farm is located at 9101 Frederick Pike, Dayton, OH 45414.
