Disturbing The Comfortable: Welcome To The Grotesque Beauty of Dismaland.
From carriage crashes, to credit cards for kids...we look back 11 years ago to the clever creation of Dismaland.
Content Warning: Please be advised that the following article contains distressing themes of animal abuse and death and this includes distressing images .
All credit to the respective artists and article is for commentary and entertainment purposes and falls under fair use.
In 1997, Mexican poet and educator Cesar A. Cruz once wrote โArt should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.โ And though the quote comes from a poem published back in 1997, the statement still carries weight in this day and age. Across the country, artists continue to intuitively craft quiet yet powerful statements that confront the unsettling and disturbing reality of the decay in our democracy which is an umbrella term that covers the interconnected strugglings of our society such as food insecurity, class inequality, the housing crisis and authority that is coming from the threat of force.
Amongst the arsenal of talented creatives is fabled artist and political activist โBanksyโ whose best known for his simple and direct technique that effectively portrays his political commentary with messages of capitalism, anti-war and other social issues. However, despite being best recognized for his stencil work and anonymity, he was a part of a larger collaborative project alongside 58 other artists to create a powerful exhibition named โDismalandโ in August of 2015.
The exhibition was so impactful that many people who attended are now posting and talking about their experience and weighing in on the relevance of the art installation nearly 11 years later.
Today I invite us to hold space and break down some of the most breathtaking, highbrow and powerful moments in the experience.
Once located in Weston-super-Mare, United Kingdom, the pop-up exhibition had appeared after a month of construction which caused many of the residents to scratch their heads and simply speculate as to what could be going on as gargantuan sized structure of a dingy castle and multicolored pinwheel was rolled in. Little did they know, provocateur Banksy and 58 internationally renowned artists were in the midst of curating the most shocking and terrifyingly gorgeous pieces of art to help bring together the dystopian dazed themed park that would be titled โDismalandโ which is a play on to โDisneylandโ the most famous and iconic theme park in the whole world.
As Americans, we are subjected to consumerism from a young age and the truth of the matter is that nobody is immune to it, not even me as the author who has been obsessed with Hello Kitty as a young girl and still am to this day. According to Red Crow Marketing, the average person is exposed to between 4,000 and 10,000 advertisements daily and these ads have the sole purpose of convincing you to download the latest dating app, trying the latest fast-food item from a fast food place, or purchase the newest shade of lip gloss despite already owning several unfinished tubes.
This exposure shows no mercy as it begins in real life with fast food companies using beloved cartoon characters and playgrounds to target young children with its ball pits encouraging them to beg their parents for trips to these restaurants. As we get older, it doesnโt get any easier as consumerism becomes intertwined and normalized in daily life through social media, target advertising and influencer culture with buzzwords of โmust havesโ and โrun donโt walkโ. Every haul filmed is an attempt to reinforce the idea that both happiness and identity is one purchase away.
But you and I know thatโs not true and as much as these things can bring temporary happiness, the reality is that the majority of what we are purchasing will end up in the back of your closet or in landfills. And before my words get taken out of context, I do believe that people should spend their money as they please as it is their own and they worked very hard for it but what I donโt agree with is the mental gymnastics we go through to justify and normalize hyperconsumerism.
This notion isnโt anything new as the exhibition works to convey disenchantment and exploitation with themes of animal cruelty, misogyny, celebrity culture, the fates of immigrant children becoming political playgrounds and anti-consumerism.
โAre 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 youโa chaotic new world where you can escape from mindless escapism.โ Text from the eventโs brochure.
The self titled โbemusementโ park effectively makes statements using elements of surrealism, absurdism and satire.
The following are my pick of the wonderful and superb instillations and while all of the projects were amazing, these are the top three that took my breath away and made such an impression on me.
1. Banksyโs Carriage Crash Scene
This was the photo that initially caught my attention to do further research on Dismaland. The distressing scene was an unmistakable reference to Princess Dianaโs tragic death where she had been in a high speed car chase in order to escape the paparazzi that ultimately resulted in her death. People who attended the event stated that you needed to go through a dark tunnel before eerily being met by the relentless flashing lights that were blinding but effectively highlighted the gruesome scene. Princess Diana was a person who left behind a lasting legacy as she was renowned as the peopleโs princess and there is so many art pieces made about her but this in particular makes a strong statement against how the greed does not yield even in death.
2. From Ocean To The Pool
The effects of capitalism does not only affects humans but to animals as well. Using animals for entertainment involves confinement, abuse and the blatant disregard for the sentience of a living and breathing being.
3. Dismaland Refugee Boats
This piece in particular invoked strong feelings of melancholy and anguish from the look of exhaustion and even a thousand yard look in the childrenโs eyes. To many immigrants, their destination is often imagined as a paradise and an escape from what hardships were plaguing you back home but the reality is that they often carry that weight no matter where they go and what was so powerful about this artwork was that the visitor could conduct the boat after paying.
What happened to Dismaland?
I could go on forever breaking down the intricate nature of these artworks but ultimately, these pieces were effective and powerful enough to still be relevant to this day and age. Besides the bigger works of art, the smaller optics included the staff that were โanti-customerโ service, visitors winning fish sticks from playing the fair games and satirical slogans such as โcredit cards for kidsโ.
After the pop-up ended, the art exhibits were dismantled and itโs supplies donated to refugee camps.
Dismaland did what art does best which is hold a mirror up to our way of life and create an impact with entertainment and social commentary. We get reminded that art is meant to challenge what we know in order to take a deep look with not only ourselves but our environment. I hope to be able to witness something of this magnitude in the nearby future as it feels long overdue.