Dismaland

Last updated
Dismaland
Logo of Dismaland transparency.png
Date21 August – 27 September 2015
Location Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England
Coordinates 51°20′27″N2°58′58″W / 51.3409°N 2.9828°W / 51.3409; -2.9828
Theme Art exhibition
Organised by Banksy
Website www.dismaland.co.uk
The 'Tropicana' swimming pool became 'Dismaland' Dismaland facade.JPG
The 'Tropicana' swimming pool became 'Dismaland'

Dismaland was a temporary art project organised by street artist Banksy in the seaside resort of Weston-super-Mare in Somerset, England. [1] Prepared in secret, the pop-up exhibition at the Tropicana, a disused lido, was "a sinister twist on Disneyland" that opened during the weekend of 21 August 2015 [2] and closed on 27 September 2015, 36 days later. Banksy described it as a "family theme park unsuitable for children." [3] The aesthetic of the "bemusement park" was potentially inspired by the "Dismayland" series of paintings created by American artist Jeff Gillette, who also participated in the exhibition. [4]

Contents

Banksy created ten new works and funded the construction of the exhibition himself. The show featured 58 artists of the 60 Banksy originally invited to participate. 4,000 tickets were available for purchase per day, priced at £3 each. [5] It received 150,000 visitors in the five-week period it was open. After it closed, the building material for the project was repurposed as shelters for refugees in the Calais Jungle where he also added murals. [6] [7]

Development

Local residents of Weston-super-Mare were told that a Hollywood company called Atlas Entertainment was using the location to film a crime thriller called Grey Fox. Signs proclaiming "Grey Fox Productions" were posted around entrances to the site. [8] [9] Pictures of its construction began surfacing online in early August 2015, and included a "fairy castle and massive sculptures". [10] Holly Cushing, whose name appeared in the credits of a documentary about Banksy and who is often reported to be his manager, was sighted at the construction site before the opening, which made the project less of a "secret". [10] [11]

Works

Big Rig Jig at Dismaland in 2015 Big Rig Jig at Banksy's Dismaland.jpg
Big Rig Jig at Dismaland in 2015

Among the structures photographed prior to the opening were a large pinwheel by Banksy, [12] Horse Scaffolding Sculpture by Ben Long, [13] and a twisted truck sculpture, Big Rig Jig by artist Mike Ross which was previously shown at Burning Man in 2007. [14] [15] [16] Works by 58 artists, including Jenny Holzer, Damien Hirst, Jeff Gillette, Jimmy Cauty and Bill Barminski were featured in the park. Banksy said he contacted the "best artists I could imagine" to exhibit, two of whom turned him down. [5]

Art Historian Dr Gavin Grindon from the University of Essex curated Dismaland's political exhibits, including a bus housing a collection of dangerous and violent objects (from homeless spikes to riot shields and rubber bullets) under the banner of 'Cruel Designs'. [17]

A fake payday loan shop for kids called "Pocket Money Loans" by Darren Cullen was open next to the children's sand pit. Offering kids an "advance on their pocket money at 5000% interest", the floor had a trampoline installed so the children could jump high enough to read the small print on their credit agreements. [5]

The artist and engineer Tim Hunkin created a caravan ride for the event. Visitors sat in the centre of the caravan while outside a steward turned a wheel to rotate the entire caravan around them, producing an optical illusion that the visitors themselves were spinning inside a static room.[ citation needed ]

For one exhibit, the books of Jeffrey Archer, Baron Archer of Weston-super-Mare, a British novelist and former politician who served a prison sentence for perjury, were burned each day in a fire pit. [18] Every one of the estimated 150,000 visitors to the park entered through a fake cardboard, handpainted security check point created by artist Bill Barminski. On Fridays there were scheduled performances by musicians including Run the Jewels, De La Soul, Damon Albarn, and Pussy Riot. [19]

Banksy's coin-operated Dream Boat, created for Dismaland, was donated by the artist to the NGO Help Refugees (now known as Choose Love) in the run-up to Christmas 2018 to help raise money for the charity. The artwork was displayed in Help Refugees' London pop-up shop and members of the public could pay £2 to enter a competition to guess the weight of the piece. The person whose guess was closest to the actual weight would win Dream Boat. [20] The 'guess-the-weight' competition was seen as 'deliberately school fair' in style. [21]

Contributors

Inside Dismaland Dismaland 1.jpg
Inside Dismaland

Contributors of artworks included:

A full list was published on the Dismaland Web site. [22]

Contributor Shadi Alzaqzouq from Palestine covered up his work with a bedsheet bearing a slogan in protest at the presence of Israeli artists; the covered work remained in place. The issue was later resolved, and the work was uncovered. [23]

Reception

Visitors queuing for tickets Dismaland queues 3.JPG
Visitors queuing for tickets

High demand for tickets to the exhibition caused the Dismaland website to crash repeatedly. Some wondered whether or not this was deliberately contrived by Banksy as part of the irony of the Dismaland experience. [24]

Many celebrities were attracted to the venue, some international, such as Brad Pitt, Jack Black, Neil Patrick Harris, Nicholas Hoult, Wayne Coyne, Russell Brand, Ant & Dec, Mark Ronson, Darren Criss, Daddy G, CGP Grey and Brady Haran. [25]

The exhibit had a mixed reception from critics. Jonathan Jones in the Guardian found it depressing: "brings together a lot of bad art by the seaside." [26] Dan Brooks in The New York Times was critical of the easy sarcasm. [27]

The exhibition proved to be popular with visitors, with many prepared to queue for hours each day for one of the 500 daily walk-in tickets. It brought in 150,000 visitors from around the world, boosting the local economy of Weston-super-Mare by £20m. [28] [29]

In May 2016, it was announced that Dismaland had been shortlisted for the South Bank Sky Arts Award. [30]

See also

Related Research Articles

Weston-super-Mare, also known simply as Weston, is a seaside town in the North Somerset unitary area in the county of Somerset, England. It lies by the Bristol Channel 20 miles (32 km) south-west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. Its population at the 2021 census was 82,418.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banksy</span> Pseudonymous England-based graffiti artist, political activist, and painter

Banksy is a pseudonymous England-based street artist, political activist and film director whose real name and identity remain unconfirmed and the subject of speculation. Active since the 1990s, his satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine dark humour with graffiti executed in a distinctive stenciling technique. His works of political and social commentary have appeared on streets, walls and bridges throughout the world. Banksy's work grew out of the Bristol underground scene, which involved collaborations between artists and musicians. Banksy says that he was inspired by 3D, a graffiti artist and founding member of the musical group Massive Attack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clifton Down railway station</span> Railway station in Bristol, England

Clifton Down railway station is on the Severn Beach line and serves the district of Clifton in Bristol, England. It is 3.9 miles (6.3 km) from Bristol Temple Meads. Its three letter station code is CFN. The station has two platforms, each serving trains in one direction only. As of 2015 it is managed by Great Western Railway, which is the third franchise to be responsible for the station since privatisation in 1997. They provide all train services at the station, mainly a train every 30 minutes in each direction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Worle railway station</span> Railway station in Weston-super-Mare, England

Worle railway station, on the Bristol to Exeter line, serves the Worle, West Wick and St Georges suburbs of Weston-super-Mare in North Somerset, England. It is 16 miles (26 km) west of Bristol Temple Meads railway station, and 134 miles (216 km) from London Paddington. Its three-letter station code is WOR. It was opened in 1990 by British Rail. The station, which has two platforms, is managed by Great Western Railway, the seventh company to be responsible for the station, and the third franchise since privatisation in 1997. They provide all train services at the station, mainly half hourly services between Severn Beach and Weston-super-Mare, and between Cardiff Central and Taunton. The station's car park was significantly expanded in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Birnbeck Pier</span> Pier in Weston-super-Mare

Birnbeck Pier, also known as the 'Old Pier', is a pier situated on the Bristol Channel in Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, England, approximately 18 miles (29 km) south-west of Bristol. It is the only pier in the country which links the mainland to an island, linking to Birnbeck Island, a 1.2-hectare (3-acre) rocky island just to the west of Worlebury Hill. The grade II* listed pier was designed by Eugenius Birch and opened in 1867. Birnbeck Pier is one of only six Grade II* piers surviving in the country. The refreshment and waiting rooms of 1898 were designed by local architect Hans Price and the clocktower and the piermaster's house have been attributed to him. The pier has been closed to the public since 1994 and is now on the Buildings at Risk Register.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Barminski</span> American artist and filmmaker

Bill Barminski is an American self taught artist and filmmaker born in Chicago, Illinois. His work has been part of creative projects such as Banksy's Dismaland, Beyond The Streets and The Cunning Little Vixen, a new media production of the Leoš Janáček opera produced by the Cleveland Orchestra. He works in many mediums and starting in 2008 began producing cardboard sculptures that focus on white forms with pinstripe outlines to convey the notion of 3 dimensional drawings. In 2018 he was a participating artist in Beyond The Streets artshow curated by Roger Gastman. In 2019 Barminski created a cardboard living room where visitors were encouraged to play with the artwork for the New York City iteration of Beyond the Streets.

Adam Bloom is a British comedian and writer. He has played The Edinburgh Festival for many years, once winning The Edinburgh Festival Polygram Punter Comedy Award. In 1998 he won The Time Out Comedy Award for Best Stand-Up. He appeared at The Melbourne International Comedy Festival 1999 and 2000, winning a Stella Artois award for the former appearance.

Ben Long is an English contemporary visual artist, known for large-scale public works that use everyday materials such as scaffolding in their construction. He lives and works in London.

Mike Ross is an American sculptor known for large scale public art projects.

King Robbo was an English underground graffiti artist. His feud with the artist Banksy was the subject of a Channel 4 television documentary called Graffiti Wars, first shown in August 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tropicana, Weston-super-Mare</span> Now-derelict outdoor swimming pool in Somerset, England

The Tropicana, formerly a Lido site that once contained an outdoor swimming pool, is located in the seaside town of Weston-super-Mare in North Somerset, England. It is located on the Bristol Channel coast, on the southern section of the seafront.

El Teneen is the pseudonym of an anonymous 39–40-year-old Egyptian street artist and graffiti artist whose work gained popularity and notoriety in Egypt following the 2011 Revolution. El Teneen originally formed one half of the pair "Team El Teneen", or "Dragon Team"; however, the artist now works primarily independently. His works of art have been described as "icons of the 25 January revolution."

The year 2015 in art involves various significant events.

A pop-up exhibition is a temporary art event, less formal than a gallery or museum but more formal than private artistic showing of work. Pop-up exhibits are erroneously called pop-up museums, such as the Museum of Ice Cream but do not fit the International Council of Museums definition of a museum. The idea began in 2007 in New York City where space for exhibiting artistic work is very limited. Although the idea originated from New York City, pop-up exhibitions occur all around the world. A recent example is Banksy's Dismaland, which ran from August to September 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ammar Abd Rabbo</span> French-Syrian journalist and photographer

Ammar Abd Rabbo is a French-Syrian journalist and photographer, born in Damascus, Syria, in 1966.

Jeff Gillette is a contemporary American artist based in Southern California. He is best known for his subversive 'slumscape' paintings ironically featuring Disney characters. He is often cited as the inspiration for Banksy's 2015 Dismaland theme park installation, in which he was a featured artist.

Caitlin Cherry is an African-American painter, sculptor, and educator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Walled Off Hotel</span> Hotel in Palestine created by Banksy

The Walled Off Hotel is a boutique hotel designed by anonymous London-based artist Banksy alongside other creatives. It is located in Bethlehem, 40 kilometres (25 mi) from Ben Gurion Airport. Established in March 2017, and initially set out to only be a temporary exhibition, the hotel has since attracted nearly 140,000 visitors, thanks in part to its location opposite the portion of the Israeli West Bank Barrier separating Bethlehem from the holy site of Rachel's Tomb. The hotel is considered to be a key piece of social commentary on the Palestinians affected by the Israeli-Palestine Conflict and billed as having "the worst view of any hotel in the world".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">See Monster</span> Art installation in North Somerset, England

See Monster was a temporary outdoor art installation in Weston-super-Mare, England. It was part of the nationwide arts festival Unboxed: Creativity in the UK and consisted of a converted decommissioned offshore platform featuring a garden and artworks that promoted sustainability.

References

  1. ↑ Morris, Steven (18 August 2015). "Banksy fans flock to Weston-super-Mare after Dismaland show rumours". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 18 August 2015. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  2. ↑ "Is Banksy about to open a new exhibition in Weston-super-Mare?". Bristol Post. 17 August 2015. Archived from the original on 19 August 2015.
  3. ↑ "Banksy Dismaland show revealed at Weston's Tropicana – BBC News". BBC News. 20 August 2015. Archived from the original on 20 August 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  4. ↑ Holmes, Kevin (28 June 2016). "Meet the 'Slumscape' Painter Who Inspired Banksy's Dystopian Theme Park". Vice. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
  5. 1 2 3 Brown, Mark (20 August 2015). "Banksy's Dismaland: 'amusements and anarchism' in artist's biggest project yet". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 21 August 2015.
  6. ↑ "Dismaland to be taken down and sent to Calais to build shelters". The Guardian. Press Association. 28 September 2015.
  7. ↑ "Banksy adds Steve Jobs mural to refugee camp made from Dismaland remains". De Zeen. 18 December 2015.
  8. ↑ "Seaside exhibition 'bears Banksy hallmarks' says author – BBC News". BBC News. 18 August 2015. Archived from the original on 18 August 2015. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  9. ↑ "Welcome to Dismaland, Banksy's secret pop-up exhibition – video". The Guardian . 18 August 2015. Archived from the original on 18 August 2015. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  10. 1 2 "Banksy 'using film set as a cover for secret new Dismaland exhibition'". ITV News. 17 August 2015. Archived from the original on 18 August 2015. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  11. ↑ Beggs, Alex (18 August 2015). "Is Banksy Out to Ruin Disneyland?". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on 21 August 2015. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  12. ↑ Pricco, Evan (24 August 2015). "An Interview With Banksy About Dismaland". Juxtapoz, issue 177. Archived from the original on 22 August 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  13. ↑ Mills, Eleanor (30 August 2015). "Banksy: A tantalising brush with the Rat King". Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 29 September 2015. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  14. ↑ Siam Goorwich (18 August 2015). "Banksy's opening a post-apocalyptic theme park called Dismaland in Weston-super-Mare". Metro. Archived from the original on 18 August 2015. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  15. ↑ "Upcoming: Banksy "Dismaland" Pop-Up Exhibition @ Weston-Super-Mare". StreetArtNews.net. 19 August 2015. Archived from the original on 21 August 2015. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  16. ↑ Nicholas Jackson. "Big Rig Jig". Atlas Obscura. Archived from the original on 11 September 2015. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  17. ↑ "Lecturer is a Banksy troublemaker". Gazette. 3 September 2015. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  18. ↑ Hjelmgaard, Kim (21 August 2015). "British artist Banksy opens anti-theme park 'Dismaland'". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on 21 August 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  19. ↑ Schwab, Katharine (20 August 2015). "Welcome to 'Dismaland': A Theme Park by Banksy". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 20 August 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  20. ↑ N. Hinde, 'Buy A £2 Raffle Ticket And This Banksy Sculpture Could Be Yours' (11/12/18) on HuffPost
  21. ↑ Katie Baron, 'How Choose Love Made Charity Credible Again: Pop-Up Sales Storm Towards £1.5m, Doubling 2017 Total' (22/10/18) on Forbes
  22. ↑ "Artists — Dismaland Bemusement Park". dismaland.co.uk. Archived from the original on 5 February 2016. Full list of artists
  23. ↑ Horton, Helen (29 August 2015). "Israel protest artist's work stays at Dismaland". Telegraph. Archived from the original on 20 December 2015.
  24. ↑ Matt Payton (21 August 2015). "People trying to buy tickets don't think Banksy's Dismaland is real". Metro.co.uk. Archived from the original on 21 August 2015.
  25. ↑ Grey & Brady (29 September 2015). "H.I. #48: Grumpy About Art". Hello Internet (Podcast). Archived from the original on 2 October 2015.
  26. ↑ Jones, Jonathan (21 August 2015). "In Dismaland, Banksy has created something truly depressing". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
  27. ↑ Brooks, Dan (10 September 2015). "Banksy and the Problem With Sarcastic Art". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 16 September 2015. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
  28. ↑ Hannah Ellis-Petersen (25 September 2015). "Dismaland closure leaves Banksy-shaped hole in Weston-super-Mare". Guardian. Archived from the original on 4 December 2016.
  29. ↑ "Banksy's Dismaland 'gave Weston-super-Mare a £20m boost'". BBC News. 25 September 2015. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  30. ↑ "Banksy's Dismaland up for South Bank Sky arts award". BBC News. 3 May 2016. Archived from the original on 3 May 2016. Retrieved 3 May 2016.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.