Welcoming Issaquah’s “Spooky” New Resident - Jakob Two Trees
With the start of “spooky season” and the month of Halloween, it is not uncommon to find all kinds of frightful friends peering out of doorways or lurking on store shelves. While Issaquah’s new 14-foot troll, Jakob Two Trees, sounds like he’d be a welcome addition to the roster of scary things that are haunting the halls and streets this month, it turns out he’s more of a treat than a trick.
Jakob Two Trees peers from behind his trees. Photo by Nicole Assumpcao.
Jakob Two Trees is one of several trolls designed by artist Thomas Dambo, a Norwegian artist who has placed these whimsical recycled art installations all across the globe. Locally, Jakob has “relatives” in West Seattle, Ballard, and Portland, as well as on Vashon Island and Bainbridge Island. Each troll tells a tale of the cyclical nature of the natural world and honoring the land and its waterways.
The beginnings of Jakob and the many recycled components that went into creating him. Photo by Chris Craven.
The creation of these 14-foot (or more) wooden trolls is a work of art, a feat of engineering, and a testament to teamwork. Each troll was secretly installed over several days in late August, with volunteers and spectators asked to keep hush-hush about their location until the final unveiling. Each hand-crafted head is shipped in fully formed, but the bodies are all created out of repurposed wooden pallets by Thomas Dambo and his team - with the help of several intrepid volunteers. Volunteers aided in dismantling the pallets for use, while Thomas Dambo and his team were in charge of assembly.
Jakob’s hand-crafted head and some of the pallets of wood being disassembled by volunteers. Photo by Anne Newcomb.
IATC Board President Anne Newcomb was able to join for one of the early days of work and provided us with these initial progress pictures. Chris Craven provided updated photos as well.
One of my personal favorite details - the fingernails of his hands. Photo by Chris Craven.
Jakob in particular is the first member of the troll family to don a ponytail fashioned from foraged sticks and held together with a band from the Snoqualmie tribe. This blending of cultural traditions is meant to symbolize the strengthening of connections between Coast Salish and Scandinavian traditions and beliefs. He sits nestled alongside the paved Rainier trail behind the Issaquah Community Center and welcomes respectful visitors to hear his tales.
A detailed look at Jakob’s ponytail and the beautiful band that contains it, courtesy of the Snoqualmie tribe. Photo by Nicole Assumpcao.
For more information about Jakob and his forest friends, visit Dambo’s Northwest Troll website.
IATC Board President Anne Newcomb and Executive Director Nicole Assumpcao pose with Jakob Two Trees.
If you have a little one who’d like to don their costume to visit our friendly neighborhood troll, click here to join us for a “spooky” Teddy Bear hike this month!