14 DAY TRIAL // Banksy, aka the world’s most elusive guerrilla artist, is opening a new theme park in Weston-super-Mare, at the now-derelict seafront park Tropicana. It’s called Dismaland, the Bemusement Park, and it’s exactly like Disney World, if you woke up at Disney World in your worst nightmare.
Dismaland will be open to the public between August 25 and September 27, with previews for the press taking place as we speak. It includes work from Banksy and many other world-famous artists, to create a world that is shocking, dismal and eye-opening at the same time.
How Dismaland came to be
This is Banksy first show in the UK since 2009, when he did Banksy v Bristol Museum, which drew very large crowds. Based on the hype around Dismaland, this one will be just as popular.
Dismaland is Banksy’s biggest exposition to date, and if you’re wondering how he could put up all this without anyone finding out about it, reports online note that locals were informed a studio was shooting a movie there and all the stuff they were bringing in were props.
Dismaland is billed as “the UK’s most disappointing new visitor attraction,” or as Banksy says in a statement, “a family theme park unsuitable for children.” Banksy says he would visit the Tropicana a lot as a kid, so he jumped at the chance to be able to do something to have its doors open for visitors again.
Welcome to a “chaotic new world”
You will find photos from inside the park in the gallery below, but the video embedded at the end of this post best reflects the gloomy atmosphere prevailing in the park.
Everything from the staff to the impossible fair games, to the creepy installations and the morbid artworks is meant to act as an eye-opener for the visitor. There is typical Banksy dark humor in many places, but more noticeable is the anti-consumerist and anti-corporatist stance of these works.
One installation, for example, shows Cinderella in her carriage after an accident. The horses are dead and so is she, hanging limp out one of the carriage’s windows. She’s surrounded by paparazzi whose camera flashes go on and off non-stop.
Another installation that’s getting plenty of buzz online is that of great killer whale jumping out of a toilet, ready to go through the loop held by a woman. There are also boats with immigrants slowly floating on a small lake, a ride that includes a butcher cutting out one of the horses from the same ride to make “lasagna,” and a water slide that actually comes out of a police armored truck.
Take a day out to escape from escapism
Dismaland, unlike most theme parks, doesn’t invite you to escape reality. As stated on the official website, it serves for the exact opposite purpose, asking you to escape escapism. Welcome to reality.
“Are you looking for an alternative to the soulless sugar-coated banality of the average family day out? Or just somewhere cheaper. Then this is the place for you - a chaotic new world where you can escape from mindless escapism. Instead of a burger stall, we have a museum. In place of a gift shop we have a library, well, we have a gift shop as well,” the text from the official website reads.
“Bring the whole family to come and enjoy the latest addition to our chronic leisure surplus - a bemusement park. A theme park who’s big theme is: theme parks should have bigger themes…”
Visitors should leave weapons, drugs and spraycans at home - somewhat an unnecessary warning since to get inside, you have to go through a PSA-type of screening. Just as unwelcome are Disney attorneys, the statement continues.
Yes I'm still posting about the upcoming group show by @banksy called Dismaland! #banksy #dismaland #streetart #stoked A photo posted by Bjørn (@bjornvanpoucke) on Aug 20, 2015 at 10:59am PDT
So stoked on #Dismaland, the new @banksy show in Weston-super-Mare which opens tomorrow! A photo posted by Bjørn (@bjornvanpoucke) on Aug 20, 2015 at 5:07am PDT
