Dismaland : new park in Weston-super-Mare!

[mouse]

I'm not saying Banksy's work doesn't have a political message behind it, it does. And yeah, this does attract the pretentious people that Ben describes. However for me the political statements aren't the main appeal to his work, and I think his pieces are stand alone works that don't need a deep meaning to be interesting and amusing to look at. Yeah, I think his work is fairly shallow, but it is still entertaining and has had some thought put behind it. I am shallow and uncultured, and I'm attracted to his work because I am simply humoured and interested by it. Take away the political message and you still have a substantial piece of work.

 

[Robbie]

I don't really like this, it just seems very sneery towards those that go to and enjoy theme parks. The idea of a dying, twisted theme park is as old as the hills and there are surely more important targets to take aim at?

Anyway, if anyone wants me I'll be dumping some old Illuminations in the Camelot car park and calling it art...

 

[Ben]

Mouse, that interpretation says more about your intelligence than the work.

 

[Crazycoaster]

It looks like he's copied one of those parks in China, they should sue for copyright!


But it does seem like Merlin have some competition now, seeing how much they like "theming" things derelict.

 

[mouse]

Mouse, that interpretation says more about your intelligence than the work.

I can enjoy Banksy's work without looking into the meaning of it, its not that I don't understand the meaning.
Whats that got to do with my intelligence?

 

[Ian]

It irks me that a real "arty" theme park (Dreamland) opens in Margate which has REAL rides which people can enjoy yet it gets about a quarter of the publicity this exhibition has had.

I enjoy classic art. I loved walking around the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the Louve in Paris and wandering around the symbolic monuments in Washington DC. I have zero interest in looking at a messy bed, a sheep in formaldehyde or a carousel with upside down horses whilst holding my chin, pulling a quizzical face whilst trying to work out "what does the artist really mean?". I want to look at things - interact with things - and say "yeah that's cool". Art, to me, is something that caches my eye and I find beautiful to look at...not something I have to think about. In my home, I have several pictures and items that I've bought after 5 seconds of seeing them because I liked them. I found them cheerful and beautiful.

I read today that the queue for this exhibition has been massive. If only the same people made the effort to visit somewhere like Dreamland, Pleasure Beach Blackpool or even Joyland in Great Yarmouth. Creating a place where people have fun, bond and interact with one another - that's real art. Hmm, now I realise I sound pretentious. I guess I grow a (bigger) beard, shave one side of my hair, quiff up the top, get a couple of tattoos and head to Somerset on a unicycle wearing a scarf and t-shirt and join the other hipsters. Ugh.

 

[SaiyanHajime]

I think the term "art" causes works like this problems, because whilst anything can be art, the term carries with it a loaded assumption. In reality, exhibitions like this one are more about looking at cool stuff that doesn't serve an actual purpose, from a viewers perspective. The artists like to pretend they're conveying important messages about society, and whilst they might well be attempting to do that, no one **** cares.

And that's cool - I much prefer this kind of art to walking around galleries and looking at boring classical paintings. Traditional art is only cool until you get bored of appreciating the skill.

That doesn't mean I don't think this is pretentious dribble though, because it is. It's not like they're the first to criticise theme parks - but one thing I learnt when I started writing my own pretentious dribble about theme parks was that the ONLY thing anyone talked about was Disney. Makes sense that the original theorists and art critics would attack Disneyland back in the 50s-80s, but it doesn't make sense for a bunch of British artists in 2015 to do so. It's naive.

Banksy said "It’s not a swipe at Disney," and then later said "I guess you’d say it’s a theme park whose big theme is theme parks should have bigger themes." Which is hypocrisy to the max, but more importantly... Every pretentious arty farty theme park critic ever has had had issues with the concept at the heart of the theme park - escapism. Saying that theme parks - places of entertainment and light-hearted fun - should incorporate difficult and complicated social matters into their themes is the stupidest, naive, uneducated crock of **** I've ever heard anyone spew. Why? Because, as Banksy rightly noted himself "This is an art show for the 99 per cent who’d rather be at Alton Towers." Ignoring how obnoxiously rude the implications of that statement are*, unlike your temporary art show, Banksy, theme parks actually have to survive as a business for decades. Where other media like film and even gaming can target niche audiences to illuminate the same kinda of issues contemporary art is famous for due to their temporary nature, theme parks have to entertain the 99% continuously. You can't **** do that with themes about **** immigration. Do I really need to explain this?

Maybe if they took their heads out of their arses for just a second, and glanced further than the Disney parks... Perhaps just as far as their own backyard here in the UK, they'd find theme parks with attractions that are being a bit grittier and realistic with their theme choices.

There's something really ironic about an art show in the UK criticising the fakery and shallowness of theme parks with better quality scenery and shallower concepts than the majority of our real attractions.

*Anyone who'd not rather be at Alton than this show is deluded and pretentious. However cool you think Dismaland is, Alton Towers is a substantial experience. A real one. It's not a commentary on the world, it is the world.

I'm with Serena.

 

[Robbie]

Excellent piece here:

http://www.spiked-online.com/newsite/ar ... dmWjHh3M5t

 

[cjbrandy]

^ That was brilliant

Like the above piece says, its basically Banksy calling all normal people, the masses, a bunch of ****. The people who will eat this **** up are middle class Guardian reading social justice warrior hipsters.

 

[nadroJ]

I feel like as a Disney and theme park enthusiast, this is something I NEED to see.

Also, the message Banksy is putting across is that theme parks are shallow places, well yh I'm pretty sure most people who go to theme parks go to have a little bit of fun and a day out of the monotony of their daily lives (I realise the irony of me saying this seeing as I work at a theme park but you get my meaning).

Basically, what I'm trying to say is that theme parks, especially places like Disney, are ALLOWED to glaze over the bad things in the world with an 'everything is wonderful and perfect' filter because that is what it IS. Theme parks are sold as escapism, and are well aware that they're not a real life representation of real life because that's exactly their intention in the first place!
I would see this as an opportunity to have a bit of fun and look at some cool **** whilst rolling my eyes at the political message. I find it kind of funny that Banksy criticises a place that forces ideals down people's throats by opening a place that forces ideas down people's throats, albeit a contradicting one.

 

[mouse]

I don’t think Banksy is directly criticising theme park goers for being shallow, him and his work shouldn’t be taken too seriously – hence his own use of humour in his art and interviews. Dismaland may have some influences from Disney, I think it is largely based on seasonal ‘pop up’ parks; he says it himself in the interview - “This show is modelled on the failed winter wonderlands they build every December that get shut down by trading standards – where they charge £20 to look at some alsatians with antlers taped to their heads towing a sleigh made from a skip.” Often these temporary parks can be badly run and just grim which is clearly being satirised at Dismaland. I think this bleak park idea has been Banksy’s main influence, it provides a unique and humorous guest experience as well as an effective ‘gallery’ space for the artworks (he's spoken of how he doesn't like traditional galleries). Stuff like the migrant boats add to the bleak humour of the experience, as does the derelict castle and toilet whale thing.

I reckon Banksy had a good laugh while planning this installation, as opposed to thinking out a clever message – hence why the meaning is so obvious. More thought has gone into what the visitors will experience as opposed to what it will make the visitors think about. As has already been said, most of the appeal of this is to go and look at some cool stuff, and have a fun and humorous experience. The point of it shouldn’t be taken too seriously, in the interview Banksy said “It doesn’t so much ask the question, “What is the point in art now?” as ask, “What is the point in asking, ‘What is the point in art now?’”

 

[SaiyanHajime]

I feel like as a Disney and theme park enthusiast, this is something I NEED to see.

Also, the message Banksy is putting across is that theme parks are shallow places, well yh I'm pretty sure most people who go to theme parks go to have a little bit of fun and a day out of the monotony of their daily lives (I realise the irony of me saying this seeing as I work at a theme park but you get my meaning).

Basically, what I'm trying to say is that theme parks, especially places like Disney, are ALLOWED to glaze over the bad things in the world with an 'everything is wonderful and perfect' filter because that is what it IS. Theme parks are sold as escapism, and are well aware that they're not a real life representation of real life because that's exactly their intention in the first place!
I would see this as an opportunity to have a bit of fun and look at some cool **** whilst rolling my eyes at the political message. I find it kind of funny that Banksy criticises a place that forces ideals down people's throats by opening a place that forces ideas down people's throats, albeit a contradicting one.

For real. The hilarious thing is the very purpose of post-Disney theme parks - of theming - was a distraction from the mundane. There's a million words written on the subject of post-war depression leading to Disneyland-like amusements. I feel like the artists involved here don't understand the medium they're using as a vehicle for their message and it just comes across as ignorant as a result.

I don’t think Banksy is directly criticising theme park goers for being shallow, him and his work shouldn’t be taken too seriously

I think the opposite. He's using a theme park as a vehicle to literally point at it's visitors and call them stupid and ignorant for their desire to escape all the **** going on in the world.

 

[nadroJ]

^yeah, the 'I am an imbecile' balloons pretty much spell out what Banksy is trying to do here: criticise the bourgeoisie for wanting a little escapism. He's essentially telling people they're idiotic **** for going somewhere like a theme park and enjoying some mindless entertainment, which is incredibly pompous and classist, which is kind of hilarious coming from someone as openly anti establishment as Banksy.

The issues the artist brings up in Dismaland are real, but they are happenings because of the powers that be that rule the world (the Rupert Murdochs of a the world), not the poor gits who work hard at their 9-5 job saving the best they can to take their family to Disneyland, and I find it extremely arrogant that this piece clearly targets the latter and blamed them for enjoying this kind of entertainment rather than those who created a world in which escapism is needed in the first place.

 

[mouse]

If he wanted to call theme park goers imbeciles would he really be that blatant about it?
To me the balloons are a bit of fun, the idea of visitors walking around with 'I'm an imbecile' balloons they purchased themselves is quite amusing, and adds to the bleak humour of the whole park. In his previous and more directed works he hasn't just spray painted a picture of who he was mocking with some sort of 'im stupid' caption.

 

[Ben]

If he wanted to call theme park goers imbeciles would he really be that blatant about it?

Well, yes, clearly, because that is exactly what he's done.

 

[Darren B]

What a heap of ****. To say that we should concentrate on real world matters instead of the escapism of theme parks is complete and utter bollocks! Let children be children and let adults be children if that's what they want. Who is he to tell us how we should live our lives? Cock.

On the exhibits themselves; I hate Disney so obviously I found that quite amusing, but I love SeaWorld so I didn't enjoy the toilet bowl dig. Each to their own as far as that goes.

The one bit I did enjoy is the portrayal of theme park staff. I hate the falseness that you encounter when engaging with them, it really pisses me off. I get it that it's your job to be pleasant towards me but for the love of god don't lay it on so **** thick. This isn't a fault of the individual, it's the corporations who enforce customer service so heavily these days.

 

[Smithy]

I think some of you are reading far too much into it.

 

[SaiyanHajime]

^ That is literally the point of contemporary art.

 

[Mysterious Sue]

Some really interesting debate going on in here.

The trouble with Banksy is that he has always represented art for the masses and his whole career has been built around being an anti-establishment artist. There's only so many avenues open to him now to make 'edgy' art with a statement before he starts looking obvious and shallow or becoming a parody of himself. Sadly, I think he's crossed the line.

Yes, on the one hand Dismaland is just a humorous, easy to understand art exhibition that tackles an obvious theme and you should take it at face value. But I think he's gone too far to actually say that he's speaking for 'low income families' as he puts it. As others have said, he's missed the irony of putting on an ironic theme park with an entrance fee in the middle of the summer holidays that is a parody of... expensive theme parks entertaining children in the middle of the summer holidays. He's missed the point completely and it smells of Guardian-reading hipocracy (I can tell, I'm a Guardian reader).

That's not to to say there isn't a discussion here. Perhaps it is true that we are happy to spend X hundred pounds a year on taking our families to theme parks but don't give a moment's thought or a pound of cash towards the plight of the refugees entering Europe. But I don't really get how that's relevant. The killer whale installation is more interesting as it criticises theme park practice, but on the tail of the Black Fish film it seems too little too late (and we don't even have large sea mammal exhibits in the UK anyway).

For me, the whole thing misses the mark. I might go and see it if I find the time when the queues go down, if only because of my interest as an enthusiast. I went to his major show in the Bristol museum and it was excellent (but then it was all along the lines of our abuse or nature and animal cruelty which is a theme that I applaud).

As for all 'modern art' being rubbish... bollocks... That's like saying all pop music is rubbish or all cars are rubbish. Just because the unmade bed is an easy target doesn't mean there aren't some thought provoking or indeed, instantly understandable modern artworks out there to enjoy. Besides, Banksy is a Contemporary not a Modern artist (he is making art now, not in the Modern period) but I get what you mean.

 

[cjbrandy]

I don't think Banksy's work or modern art is rubbish, its just not my cup of tea.

Whatever people think of him and Dismaland, it will come to a happy resolution for him.