Dismaland
Everyone remembers the experiences they have had in theme parks. The sullen atmosphere, dingy attractions, and depressing art is something that no child really forgets. No? That is probably because I am describing Dismaland instead of your run-of-the-mill amusement parks like Six Flags. Dismaland is a bemusement park by street artist, Banksy, and a few other artists. The attraction is a parody of the famous Disneyland in America. Both of them are generally the same except for the facts that this one is in the UK and football players do not generally go to it after they have won the Super Bowl. They both have a series of attractions for people to experience and groups of workers who act as if they would rather be anywhere else, but the main difference behind this park is that there is a much deeper meaning behind Dismaland than most other theme parks out there.
Every work of art in the theme park has some sort of meaning or irony behind it. Sometimes it is obvious or it is much more subtle. Even the exhibit itself has a meaning since it is located in an old abandoned swimming pool than a grandiose stage. All of it has to do with problems we face today as societies or as the world itself. One exhibit contains a dead Cinderella with her carriage turned over as if in an accident. Next to her, is a group of photographers just snapping away and not taking any effort to help her in any other way than to help her corpse look well. There is a model of a town frozen right after a period of civil unrest and rioting called The Aftermath Displacement Principle. There is even an ominous merry-go-round resembling a butchery. It even has a butcher with a machete, a horse hanging from the ceiling, and boxes labeled ‘lasagna’ that he is sitting on. The park has no end with the symbolism and deeper meaning behind every facet. I could tell more, but that might be spoiling a bit too much for you, the reader, to observe and form your own opinions. Needless to say, the park is a wonderland in its own even though it is not necessarily conventional.
Dismaland is going to be around for August 22 to September 27 so if you can somehow hop on a flight there in that short span of time, you probably should. This is definitely an interesting and once in a lifetime experience.
For more information, click on these links:
http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/arts/news/artist-banksy-unveils-dismaland-theme-park-1-3864496
