Where Dreams Never Come True: A Look Inside Dismaland

by

Mackenzie Patel

*Dismaland official closed today. Read about the gloomy ending here.*

Hello World Travelers! Being the art obsessed peculiarity that I am, I had to write about this fascinating and altogether unusual art installation nestled unhappily in Weston-super-Mare, England. The grim reaper riding about creepily in his go cart, miniature immigrants ferrying about on their bleak vessels, mountains of corn-husk blond hair spilling out of a wrecked carriage, the woman claiming the yellow mane dead as a doorknob. A sign declaring “Mind the Income Gap.” These scenes, and many more gruesome ones, litter the formerly abandoned seaside resort that has been transformed into a depressing dive by none other than Banksy. Banksy, the famous and controversial graffiti artist, is still shrouded in a veil of mystique, but his newest dabble in the world of art certainly is not.

This Bristol born Englander has been dashing his paints on public spaces since the 1990s; not merely graffiti anymore, his pieces are usually thought-provoking, frightening, and downright macabre at times. While some of his art draws upon classical influences, there is always an element of sarcasm and cynicism saturating his strange subject matter. I only started studying Banksy in the past couple of weeks, but the further I dig, the more intriguing this seemingly pessimistic and dour individual appears. Two works in particular, now probably ruined by others’ inferior graffiti scrawls, stood out to me and caused such strong feelings of interest and horror simultaneously. Napalm, a creation sprayed into existence in 2004, is truly a terrifying image that makes me wonder just how negative Banksy must be. On one hand, the work seems almost mutely hunky-dory, with a smiling Mickey Mouse and waving Ronald McDonald framing the grayscale scene. However, that feeling of childish happiness is instantly shattered into a thousand gray fragments once the figure in the middle becomes apparent. A young girl, naked and screaming like one of the horrifying Pope Innocent’s from a Francis Bacon painting, holds the hands of the iconic American characters. Their hands, supposedly warm and enveloping, have suddenly become shackles on this horrid girl. Alluding to the name, the person in the middle is a local Vietnamese girl fleeing from her napalmed town in Southeast Asia. See the original photograph from the Vietnam here. And so, this was my introduction to the ever-evolving and head-spinning Banksy, England’s own Eeyore. The second image I studied was Girl With The Pierced Eardrum from 2014. Although not quite as chilling as Napalm, it nevertheless is snarky to the hilt and overturns all the Renaissance and Baroque principles with his treatment of the iconic Vermeer beauty. I am drawn to this work because 1. I find the original Girl With The Pearl Earring captivating, and 2. I love how this historic archetype of seductive beauty is defaced with an ugly and industrial alarm box.  It’s so deliciously satirical! Find out more about Banksy here.

After being disturbed and unhealthily intrigued with these images, it was no surprise to discover just how morbid and sardonic Banksy’s Dismaland was. I’m aware that English people have a strange sense of humor, but to fully comprehend the depth of his sinister humor, watch this trailer for Dismaland on Banksy’s website itself. The fine print on the home page proclaims mockingly,

“Contains uneven floor surfaces, extensive use of strobe lighting, imagery unsuitable for small children and swearing. The following are strictly prohibited in the Park – spray paint, marker pens, knives and legal representatives of the Walt Disney Corporation.

Dismaland is wheelchair accessible throughout, (apart from the bar on the roof which doesn’t do much anyway).”

Thus, my obsession with Banksy official began because his banter of sarcastic words, his obvious calling out of Disney (which is the epitome of sappy happiness), and monotone feel. This “theme” park is located in a worn down suburb of England, and features work by several international artists, not just the reclusive and clandestine Banksy. As the promotion video so eloquently states, Dismaland is the place where the “magic never ends…for five weeks only.” I’m enamored with this cynical wordage because I wrote an article about “magical qualities” of the real Disney World that I experienced only a few short months ago. But, as Banksy was so apt to point out, all magic, no matter how spell-binding and beautifully eternal it seems in that exact moment, is not infinite. Thus, my surreal last weeks of senior year are dead, the rush of feelings and powerful emotion just simple memories now. Dismaland is incredibly realistic, especially in its treatment of contentious current events; it banishes sentimentality and ushers in the real world. The crashed Cinderella carriage in the equally worn down Castle echoes the gory death of Princess Diana; the miniature immigrants looking like death mimic the legions of immigrants flooding into Europe from troubled regions; David Cameron, looking like a flashy Leonard DiCaprio from The Great Gatsby, is being crushed by a man who suspiciously resembles Drake. Bitterness and depression champion the land, making one feel like they’re frolicking in a politically gruesome arena. Ariel, The Little Mermaid, is ugly and warped, an army vehicle of the IRA is stranded in the fake water, and expressionless workers hold balloons that proclaim “I am an imbecile” unenthusiastically. Compared to Banksy’s former work, Girl With A Balloon, which exuded hope and innocence, this playground of paradoxes is utterly miserable. In spite of the harshness, tickets to see this monstrosity are completely sold out, and people are flocking to the park because of the media hype and the legendary name of Banksy ( not for the art). Banksy has become so ingrained in pop culture, despite his mocking it with every new stenciled creation. With his Dismaland, Banksy has leapt out of the brick into the three dimensional world, soiling the sentimental name of Disney with blood, politics, violence, and indifference.

Life isn’t always a fairytale.

And don’t forget, Exit Through The Gift Shop.