“I spend my life showing the world
that beautiful things can be made out of trash.”
I've recently returned from a trip to Denmark. On my first night there, my hosts asked what I was interested in seeing and what I liked to eat. I responded that I wanted to be an American having a Danish experience rather than an American having an American Experience in Denmark. I asked them to take me to places that had meaning to them and that I wanted to eat whatever they usually ate. It was a great way to discover things that I wouldn't have thought about!
In Denmark, there is an emphasis on being out in nature and being good stewards of our earth. There are wild places that connect neighborhoods and towns making it easy to get into nature by walking or biking from home. To call these places parks does not really describe what they are or even what they mean to the people who live there. The grass is only mowed in walking paths, the rest is left as habitat for wildlife. There are wild open areas and wooded areas. It was amazing and inspiring.
My hosts took me to see several sculptures that are out in these parks. These magical sculptures are made solely from local scrapwood and recycled materials, and made in hidden beautiful locations. The artist, Thomas Dambo, wants to invite the viewers to go on a treasure hunt, not only to see the sculptures, but also to discover hidden gems in nature. I had never heard of Thomas Dambo, but have found out that he has sculptures all over the world! He is from Denmark and his studio is in Copenhagen. HERE is a list of his works and their locations and stories!
The pictures in this post are of the ones that we visited. Theses sculptures are all a part of the Forgotten Giants Project. I took some many pictures of these four that it was hard to pick the ones to share!
Row 1 - Teddy Venlig (No. 14), Høje Taastrup. On our pleasant walk to get to him, we passed the nesting place of a swan and many families picnicing and hiking. So beautiful!
Row 2 - Thomas Pa Bjerget (No. 15) Thomas on the Mountain, Albertslund. Thomas is situated on a reclaimed dumping area that has been turned into a mountain in the center of this green space. (Not really a mountain by NC standards but a mountain all the same.) Thomas spends his time looking down the mountain and into the green.
Row 3 - Oscar Under Broen (No. 13), Ishøj. Oscar under the Bridge. It would be easy to miss Oscar. He is under the bridge but his hand is up on the bridge. While we were there, many people bicycled over that bridge but no one stopped to visit. I loved how his hair looked from above. The hair photo was taken from the bridge. As we were heading back a group of school children were out for a nature adventure.
Row 4 - Lille Tilde (No. 16), Vallensbæk. I think that Lille is my favorite. She is in a grove of trees looking out on the lake. She had three little ones on her foot and a big tail. I just love her sweet face.
It was great to get to experience these forgotten giants!
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