Austin park unveils giant troll sculpture, the first of its kind in Texas
The fast-growing city of Austin is home to a wide range of identities, from California transplants to celebrities and young professionals, but one of its newest residents is certainly a first.
A giant 18-foot troll has settled down in Pease Park for the foreseeable future. Yes, you heard that right — the city with an affinity for “weirdness” is now home to a female troll named Malin.
The whimsical creature is the park’s latest public art installation and the brainchild of Thomas Dambo, an artist and self-described “recycling art activist” from Denmark. Sculpted almost entirely from repurposed natural materials, the project intends to teach visitors “the importance of valuing our one and only Earth,” according to the park’s website.
Malin made her debut to the public on March 16 after a weekslong construction process involving Dambo and numerous park volunteers. The troll was crafted largely from the wood of an old water research tank from the University of Texas J.J. Pickle Research Campus.
The enormous art piece’s core was made with 1,800 feet of Eastern red cedar sourced from a family-owned sawmill in Bastrop County. Malin’s feet were created with recycled supplies in Denmark, her wild hair was formed with Ashe juniper roots collected by a local supporter and her dazzling necklace was assembled with found and donated materials.
In her hands is a water basin that trail and troll visitors can fill with water to nourish the park’s wildlife. In a video posted to the park’s website, Dambo said the fountain serves as a reminder to “share water with other animals that we share our land and our city with.”
Even the seating around Malin has a backstory — it was constructed with the wood from a deceased pecan tree known as “Baby” and beloved to community members in the Govalle area.
Dambo specializes in making sustainable sculptures from wasted materials and has built more than 120 giant trolls worldwide, but this is his first in the Lone Star State.
The Pease Park Conservancy is inviting people on a “troll trek” to come visit the sculpture, which is located in a wooded area just north of Kingsbury Commons, for free anytime daily between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.
The conservancy also plans to integrate the troll into its field trip program to engage kids of all ages in exploring the outdoors. In a December blog post, Pease Park Conservancy CEO Nicole Netherton wrote that while it might not appeal to everyone, the value of public art is providing a connection between people and their environment.
“Public art can be a gateway — for questions, exploration and observation,” she explained. “It can’t replace engagement with the natural world, but it can complement how we connect with our built and natural environment.”
If you can’t make a trip to Malin soon, don’t fret — Dambo has granted the park a 15-year exclusive license to the sculpture, which will be maintained with funding from the Tejemos Foundation.