Nestled in Ninigret Park, a wooded area in America’s smallest state, two giant troll statues entice visitors into the forest. These wonderfully weird guardians of the woods, one lounging and another seated, are each is made of thousands of pieces of recycled wood cobbled together to form giant but seemingly friendly monsters with exaggerated features. Part of the joy is the search, as neither troll is along the road. Rather, visitors have to wander down dirt paths and push past tree branches to find these strange statues, named Erik Rock and Greta Granite respectively.
These trolls are the brainchild of Danish artist Thomas Dambo, a magical realist artist whose whimsical, environmentally conscious installations feature fantastical creatures that blend harmoniously into their surroundings. Dambo has created wooden creatures all over the world, including China, Ireland, Chile, and France. In Ninigret Park, the trolls were assembled with the help of local volunteers, following Dambo’s commitment to involving the community in his art.
While seemingly out of place in an otherwise standard Rhode Island park, these benevolent monsters are just the start of an exciting local initiative. The area tourism board hopes that these two gentle giants will be the start of a public art trail to attract visitors to South County. They have commissioned three more statues that are currently under construction. At least one will be installed in this verdant park before the end of the year, and the others are slated to be built on site in 2025.
Whether you’re a local or a curious traveler, Ninigret Park’s troll statues are a family-friendly must-see for anyone with a love for the whimsically bizarre. Next time you’re in Charlestown, Rhode Island, make sure to pay these wooden forest guardians a visit.
