Banksy’s New Theme Park: Dismaland
Banksy has announced his latest project and it’s sure to have art fans from all over the world clambering for flights to Southern England. Dubbed Dismaland®, the artist and provocateur has organized a dystopian festival of art and amusements on the site of an old derelict lido in the seaside town of Weston-super-Mare in Somerset, England. Featured are the works of 58 artists including Damien Hirst, Jenny Holzer, Pure Evil, and David Shrigley, as well as musical performances by Run the Jewels, Pussy Riot, Kate Tempest and Sleaford Mods, among others.
On the festival’s website, Bansky refers to the park as “an alternative to the sugar-coated tedium of the average family day out”. However, it doesn’t sound like this playground is suitable for all ages. The artist warns that there is imagery of an adult nature, swearing, and treacherous and uneven floors.
Among Dismaland®’s attractions are Cinderalla’s Castle, a gallery of guerrilla art with workshops on how to hack billboards, an oil caliphate themed crazy golf course, a giant pin wheel that is said to power the entire site, an update to Punch and Judy with references to Jimmy Saville and Fifty Shades of Grey, the Jeffrey Archer Memorial Fire Pit and more. A site map, images and a video Channel 4 News in the UK shot of the park can be found below.
A project of such scale obviously takes much planning, so it’s surprising it was able to be kept under wraps for so long. Nigel Ashton, a member of the local council, told BBC News, “We have been working closely with the organizers for months now, and for obvious reasons, have had to remain tight-lipped about the true nature of the event. In fact, only four people in the entire council knew what was really happening.”
The pop-up opens to the public on Saturday, August 22 is only up for five weeks. Hours are daily, 11am-11pm, with later hours on Friday when events are scheduled. Admission is £3.