I delight in seeing public art. Seeing a public display of environmental art increases my feeling of delight. In the last month of the year I visited the troll Ole Bolle at Nordia House in Portland, Oregon. Created from recycled materials by Danish artist Thomas Dambo, Ole Bolle is one of six trolls set in the Pacific Northwest. The other five trolls are in Washington State. The Dambo troll community extends across five continents thus far: Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America.
Ole Bolle resides in the woods next to Nordia House, the Scandinavian community center in southwest Portland. If this troll were to stand at full height, it would likely be three times taller than me. The tree canopies are higher than both of us. Despite the whimsy of this giant wooden figure, my thoughts run to the edges of these surroundings. I remember a time when nearby SW Oleson Road was more organic–less sidewalk and more tall trees with thick trunks. A drive there felt more like being in the country and less like being in the suburbs. It was easier to reflect on nature.
Dambo’s purpose for creating the trolls is to get people to think about nature. “Nature is circular, everything has a meaning and everything is recycled,” he said in his artist statement. With the inundation of negative news about Earth, I found that being in nature with Ole Bolle gave me a respite and a renewal of my commitment to protect the fragile sphere we ride through the universe. In the close of the year 2023, renewal of commitment was a good personal theme.
The Ole Bolle troll also reminded me of the week I spent in Copenhagen, Denmark on a vacation. I became enamored with the people and the culture to the point that I read books about hygge, Vikings, and the Danish resistance during World War II. For a couple of years I studied the Danish language, but I lacked a language partner. Nevertheless, Denmark caught and still holds my interest. If Dambo’s trolls around the world can capture people’s interest about nature and the upcycling of recycled materials into art, then a visit with Ole Bolle and others of his ilk is good advice for the new year.
There is no cost to see Ole Bolle, and I encourage everyone to seek out the trolls near to their homes. In fostering delight, public art is good for the heart.
