Dismaland was a temporary art show organized by anonymous street artist Banksy. During its construction, the locals were told that it was a movie film site. However, it was later revealed to be an exhibition that took a dark spin on Disneyland.
The exhibition itself featured works by 58 artists–some of which included Jenny Holzer, Damien Hirst, Mike Ross, and Banksy himself. Musicians also had scheduled performances throughout the day. Many of the pieces in the exhibition blended social issues such as immigration and surveillance with traditional theme park ploys. For example, Banksy’s Immigrants on a Boat addressed the dehumanization and mistreatment of immigrants. Like in many theme parks, participants could control several motorized boats in a pond of water. However, some boats were packed with migrant workers while one of the boats was a gun boat.
I found this exhibition to particularly interesting due to its engagement of the public; the mystery surrounding its construction, the play on Disneyland, and the social commentary that the exhibition engaged in all made a large social impression and sparked conversation.
To learn more about this project, you can click here for information or here for pictures.
Foundations of Art, Design, + Digital Culture 