The fine art of dumpster diving | Thomas Dambo | TEDxFargo

Summary

Thomas Dambo, a passionate artist and environmentalist, shares his childhood fascination with trash as a resource for creativity and building. He has dedicated his life to recycling and upcycling, creating giant sculptures from scrap wood and hiding them in forests worldwide. Dambo's work has inspired millions to reconsider waste as a valuable resource, advocating for a mindset shift to see trash as treasure and opportunity for a better world.

Takeaways

• 😀 Thomas Dambo has a lifelong passion for reusing and repurposing trash as creative building blocks.
• 🏠 As a child, he transformed discarded items into parts of his treetop house, dreaming of becoming an artist.
• 🚴 Thomas's father, who owned a bicycle shop, introduced him to recycling stations, which he saw as treasure troves for his creative projects.
• 🤫 Together, they developed a method to secretly collect discarded items from recycling stations without being seen.
• 🗝 Thomas now builds large sculptures from recycled materials, aiming to raise awareness about the value of trash and its potential for upcycling.
• 🌳 He has created a series of 'troll' sculptures from scrap wood, hidden in forests around the world for people to discover.
• 🌏 These sculptures have been visited by over 10 million people, teaching them about the beauty and value of reusing old materials.
• 👥 Dambo employs 23 people at his workshop in Denmark, all of whom are involved in transforming trash into art and installations.
• 🔢 In the U.S. alone, enough scrap wood is sent to landfills annually to build 2.5 million trolls, highlighting the vast potential of waste materials.
• 💡 Dambo believes that everything can be made from anything, and there should be no such thing as trash, challenging the traditional view of waste.
• 🌱 He calls for a shift in mindset to see trash not as something dirty and worthless, but as a valuable resource and opportunity for wealth and creativity.
• 📸 Dambo's closing call to action encourages individuals to take responsibility for their trash, share it, and find new value in what others might discard.

Q & A

What did Thomas Dambo love as a child and why?

Thomas Dambo loved trash as a child because he saw it as free and abundant building blocks for creativity and play, which he used to create structures like his treetop house.

How did Thomas and his father secretly collect materials from the recycle station?

Thomas and his father developed a method where they would park their van in front of the station manager's office to block the view, and then they would collect materials from the recycle station without being seen.

What is Thomas Dambo's profession and mission?

Thomas Dambo is an artist who builds giant sculptures from recycled materials with the mission of saving the world from drowning in trash and showing the beauty and value of trash.

What is the significance of the troll sculptures Thomas creates?

The troll sculptures are made from scrap wood and hidden in forests around the world, serving as a way to limit the world's trash and to inspire people to see the potential in discarded materials.

How many trolls has Thomas Dambo completed and in how many countries can they be found?

Thomas Dambo has completed 118 trolls, which can be found in 17 countries around the world.

What is the purpose of the project involving the creation of troll sculptures?

The purpose of the project is to raise awareness about the value of recycling and upcycling, and to demonstrate that something made from old materials can be as good as something new.

How does Thomas Dambo's studio and workshop operate regarding waste materials?

Thomas's studio and workshop operate by dumpster diving, cleaning, collecting, organizing, and building everything from other people's trash, including the materials for his sculptures and the shingles for his workshop.

What is the approximate amount of scrap wood needed to build one of Thomas's troll sculptures?

It takes approximately five tons of scrap wood to build one of Thomas's troll sculptures.

How much scrap wood is wasted in the United States annually, and what could this amount to in terms of Thomas's troll sculptures?

In the United States, 12 million tons of scrap wood is driven to the landfill every year, which is enough to build 2.5 million trolls, according to Thomas's calculations.

What is the main message Thomas Dambo wants to convey through his work and talk?

The main message is that trash should not be seen as worthless but as a valuable resource, and that by changing our mindset towards trash, we can use it to build a better world filled with opportunities.

What call to action does Thomas Dambo give at the end of his talk?

Thomas Dambo encourages people to look at what is being thrown out, take a photo of their trash, and share it with others to find someone for whom the trash could be a treasure, thereby taking responsibility for waste and promoting recycling.