Banksy’s Dystopian Dismaland

For Banksy, nothing is sacred. The target of his latest subversion? An anti-Disneyland rechristened as Dismaland tucked away off England’s beach town of Weston-super-Mare.

Dismaland-Banksy-CreativeMapping-Yui Mok : PA WIRE

Photo Courtesy of Yui Mok / PA WIRE.

The construction of Banksy’s dystopian Dismaland, including a crumbling Cinderella’s castle, and a technicolor pinwheel encrusted in garbage, had created a rumour mill of Wonkian proportions before the theme park’s recent unveiling.

Dismaland-Banksy-CreativeMapping-Photo by Christopher Jobson for Colossal

Photo Courtesy of Christopher Jobson for Colossal.

Banksy was the main mad hatter-scientist behind this dark version of childhood’s most sacred of institutions, but the executation of this inverted fantasy land was the product of a collaboration with 58 artists from around the world.

Dismaland-Banksy-CreativeMapping-Yui Mok : PA WIRE-

Photo Courtesy of Yui Mok / PA WIRE.

The roster included Damien Hirst, Jimmy Cauty, Bill Barminski, Jenny Holzer, David Shrigley, Kate McDowell, Espo and many more.

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Photo Courtesy of Christopher Jobson for Colossal

An Excerpt from Dismaland’s brochure:

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.

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…

This event contains adult themes, distressing imagery, extended use of strobe lighting, smoke effects and swearing. The following items are strictly prohibited: knives, spraycans, illegal drugs, and lawyers from the Walt Disney corporation.

Eager to go deeper inside Dismaland? Click Click!