In his latest and arguably most substantial stunt, notorious street artist Banksy has opened an apocalyptic amusement park called Dismaland in an abandoned seaside resort in Somerset, England.
The installation, that Banksy calls ‘the UK’s most disappointing tourist attraction’, is an elaborate parody of the quintessential family fun park, with ’employees’ that will nonchalantly avoid helping you at all.
The derelict playground carries the Banksy-esque themes of anti-consumerism and apocalypse, and questions aspects of celebrity culture, immigration and law enforcement.
Dismaland not only holds ten of Banksy’s own works, but the art of 58 other international contributing artists, including Damien Hurst, Lush, Ronit Baranga, Mike Ross and Jenny Holzer to name a few.
During its construction, Banksy and his assistants secretly assembled Dismaland under the guise of a film production.
Those working on the construction have said that even they were in the dark regarding the project’s true nature.
The authenticity of this story grew thinner as more and more strange structures began to appear within the walls of Tropicana, a public swimming pool site that had previously been abandoned for 15 years.
After opening its gates for the first time on August 21st, Dismaland has experienced overwhelming ticket sales and subsequent site crash, which fits ironically well with the experience of the Dystopian theme park.
Dismaland is only open to the public for 4 more weeks, in which there will also be live performances from acts such as Massive Attack, Run The Jewels, Pussy Riot and DJ Yoda.
Dismaland is a disappointing experience that you do not want to miss.
Learn more at http://dismaland.co.uk/