Feeling dismal, this August ?,...then visit,.. not Wallyworld, nor the Bournemouth Air Festival..but

[jonny777]

The local tv has been finding excuses to show the Banksy exhibition for about 5 to 10 minutes every day recently.

 

Basically it looks like a dump pretending to be even more of a dump (the ex-Tropicana - that is). I found the anti-establishment ideas rather tame, Cinderella falling out of her crashed coach Diana-style and being photographed by paparazzi, armoured police vans in a pond and predictable stuff about security service surveillance. 

 

Anyway, the £3 tickets all sold out in advance within an hour or so and have appeared on Ebay for £120 even though they are not transferable.

 

e.g. - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Banksy-Dismaland-4x-Tickets-Bank-Holiday-Monday-31st-7pm-/331639172045?hash=item4d373c2bcd

 

My view is that the "exhibition" is more for those types who want to visit it just to avoid having to say 'no' and appear inwardly humiliated when asked "Have you been to the Banksy exhibition?", rather than a genuine interest in joining an anti-establisment revolution.

 

Bah humbug!

[trisonic]

From over this side of the pond Banksy appears to be part of the Establishment, now.

Oh, well...

 

Best, Pete.

[legomanbiffo]

We drove for two hours and queued for two more to see 'Banksy vs the Bristol Museum' and it was the best exhibition I have ever been to, so we'll be going.

[Tim V]

Went today, queued for about 15 minutes at 15:30. Well worth it, and the dystopia town looked well modelled.

[Rivercider]

I live 15 minutes walk from the Tropicana.

 

No, the irony of Banksy's comment about the, 'opportunity to once more stand in a puddle of murky water eating cold chips to the sound of children crying', was not lost on me.

 

I have been once already, I thought it was brilliant, and I intend to try and go again for one of the evening sessions to see it lit up.

 

At the local pub lots of people who never think of going to exhibitions have been, albeit with mixed views.,

and a number of my fellow shelf stackers have either been, are going, or are part time members of the Dismaland staff.

 

My cynical side says that North Somerset Council will be able to invite Banksy back for a 10th anniversary exhibition on the site of Dolphin Square,

by which time that will have been derelict for about 15 years, so he could do another exhibition themed 'Urban Degeneration'

 

cheers 

[burgundy]

Can I strongly recommend a visit. Dismaland is full of savage, black humour - as you should expect from Banksy - and it is very thought provoking. Perhaps the biggest joke is that the local authority is one of the most Conservative in the country and has been struggling to find a use for a second hand seaside attraction for many years. That use has been found (at least temporarily) by someone who can make some pretty pointed observations about the capitalist system. Not my politics - but I do enjoy the irony.

Best wishes

Eric

[Rivercider]

Don't get your hopes up

 

Don't expect a warm welcome

 

Or great customer service

 

Or good weather

 

Or great views

 

Or cheery exhibits

 

I did enjoy it though

 

cheers

 

 

 

 

[Tim V]

Mentioned in work how long it took me to get in yesterday with no queue, some one went today, after one and a half hours still wasn't inside! I may be in trouble...

 

So I looked at the time stamps on the pictures I took, from the one outside, to my first one inside (and that was after quite a long look around) was 34 minutes.

[burgundy]

From over this side of the pond Banksy appears to be part of the Establishment, now.

Oh, well...

 

Best, Pete.

Pete

I am not sure that "the Establishment" this side of the pond (far less on your side) will be entirely comfortable with some of the images at the exhibition. Not all lend themselves to being photographed easily and not all work, but there are enough hard edged ideas (like the "boat people" boating lake) for it to be an extremely thought provoking exhibition.

Four Palestinian boys killed on a beach in Gaza

The police van as an amusement park item

The grim reaper dodgem ride to the music of Blue Oyster Cult

Best wishes

Eric

[trisonic]

I don’t expect anything from Banksy (but he asked me to say that). I’m glad you found it entertaining, Eric, I really do...

 

Best, Pete.

[Rivercider]

It certainly seems to have attracted plenty of local attention.

Last night at the Weston Railway Society monthly meeting are a couple of mates, one has been, one has tickets booked.

 

I visited Bath today. and called into a pub during the afternoon.

the barmaid asks where I have come from and when I say Weston  her next question is, have you been to the exhibition?

She has tried to book on-line, so far without success,

 

cheers

[Ceptic]

From over this side of the pond Banksy appears to be part of the Establishment, now.

Oh, well...

 

Best, Pete.

 Now, that sounds really dismal, Pete......Yeah, I can go with that. Thanks.

[Rivercider]

Said the same last night, and I think Walts pockets are a lot deeper than Banksy's when it comes to lawyers.

 

Great idea tho, he had over 300,000 visit his last expo in Bristol.

 

The riot model looked good, I was wondering if he used the Faller figures etc for it?

 

In the publicity for the installation Jimmy Cauty says he used model track workers, cut off the heads and added the heads from model policemen

as he could only find one style of model policeman. There are Bachmann track workers on an adjacent work.

 

I was lucky enough to visit again this afternoon this time with Mrs Rivercider who also enjoyed Dismaland.

We arrived on the beach lawns to join the queue for day tickets at about 14.45, after the 14.00 on-line ticket holders had gone in,

and we got into Dismaland at about 15.25, no-one seemed to be turned away this afternoon.

 

Here are another couple of views of the Aftermath Displacement Principle.

First up a drive through McDonalds 

 

And also a Burger KIng, with some policemen sitting on, or looking over the edge.

This is a very well observed work, the flashing lights and sounds of police radios, and searchlight from an overhead helicopter add to the atmosphere.

 

cheers

[skipepsi]

A colleague at work went with her Mum and Dad  and nephew. She described it as a hysterical time particularly the'staff' and their attitude. She said she liked the miniature village scenes and meeting Death on the dodgems, she also wanted to go again to find all the bits she missed. 

[trisonic]

 Now, that sounds really dismal, Pete......Yeah, I can go with that. Thanks.

That’s part of the dichotomy, I believe he attended a Public School too (as did most of my friends who’d still be termed Socialists nowadays)......not trying to start a row, I was brought up in a privileged environment too.

 

Cheers, Pete.

[skipepsi]

I think he always has been part of the establishment previously it looked like he was giving it a kicking from the inside. It used to be that you didn't have to be posh to go to public school I and many others were County minor scholars and given the chance to go.