If Disneyland is the happiest place on earth, then Banksy’s Dismaland Bemusement Park, which opened in the UK this weekend, is surely the most depressing.
Situated on the seafront in Weston-super-Mare, the pop-up exhibition in the form of a derelict theme park is the artist’s biggest project to date.
The branding all around the park is similar to Disney but there is a very sinister twist. A Disney-style fairytale castle is fire-ravaged and set on a lake with a police water cannon for a fountain. There’s a Cinderella crash scene, a post-riot model village, cardboard airport security and a sculpture of a killer whale jumping out of a toilet. Depressing and dismal looking, it’s a million miles away from the Disneyland our kids know and love.
But people are desperate to see the attraction for themselves. A statement on the park’s website reads, “Due to unprecedented demand ‘the UK’s most disappointing new visitor attraction’ is currently unable to process online ticket sales.”
Banksy wasn’t wrong when he said this is a different kind of family day out, but maybe that’s not such a bad thing. What do you think?
Image via CNN
