Running Head: LITERATURE REVIEW

Banksys Dismaland Literature Review

Abstract:
This paper will analyze the controversy behind the theme park Dismaland. Research and
information will be used to be able to make a connection between the disputes that have been
raised by some. The voices of scholars as well as locals from the Weston-Super-Mare area will
be taken into consideration as well. Altogether, in order to reach a whole understanding on the
Banksys series Dismaland, every piece of information must be comprehended.

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Introduction
Within the art world, it seems to be that there are almost endless topics fueled by
controversy. The discussions being held by scholars and experts in the field are interesting to
entertain when understanding the complexity of these issues. One that has received a variety of
responses has been the discussion over public street art, such as graffiti, versus more privatized
art, such as displayed in museums. In this particular sphere, the artist Banksy has been
discussed--------to be more specific one of his most recent works, Dismaland, has caused
conflicting opinions on both ends of the spectrum.
In order to better understand the research behind the controversy, a holistic approach
must be taken. It is crucial to comprehend the opposition to the topic as well as the information
that supports the ideologies the artist portrays in Dismaland. Conducting the research for this
piece holds relevance to the issues surrounding todays society. Specific topics such as politics
and culture are central to this work, at the same time it seeks to challenge the societal norm.
Because these subjects are considerably dense, an appropriate amount of research is needed.
To begin the analytical process, the artwork must first be portrayed through different
lenses. The theme park, Dismaland, was perceived to be yet another of Banksys controversial
works. It attracted much attention in the UK, and the tickets for the theme park were sold out
within hours. In the park the guest were able to find several recognizable characters and faces
that are representative of a deeper issue that has been embedded into society. For instance, one of
the pieces found in the park is one of a dead Cinderella falling out of a broken carriage, while
paparazzi are taking images of the event. This piece alone serves as an example of the critique
Banksy is giving the public. The interpretation became that of todays desperate for the spotlight

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pop culture, while the reality of its subjects instead reflects their unfulfilled dreams. (Alleyne,
2015)
The research questions for this literature review are as follows:

What are some of the issues that surround this particular work, being that it is in a

public space?
Is the reaction to his artwork complicated by the reputation the artist has made for

himself? How does this play a role in the critique he receives?

Considering the complexity of the issues pertaining to Banksys popular theme park,
Dismaland, the information, facts, and discussions are to be taken into an all-inclusive analysis
of the significance, or of the implications of the piece.

CNN Style photograph

What are some of the issues that surround this particular work, being that it is in a public space?

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Artists are strategic in the manners through which they decide to display their artwork.
There is a difference in the rhetorical use of a public space in comparison to the use of a private
space. To make the choice of displaying a piece in a private and single museum, which only a
portion of the population has access to, is highly contrasted to the placement of a piece out in
public where anyone can access the work. This is precisely how Banksys Dismaland becomes
more so complicated. In this piece alone, there are several points to be considered. For one, some
may see the choice of him making this piece a theme park in which are found a collection of
pieces, as an outward approach to the institutions he is challenging. Some could find this type of
attraction as a negative one, while others might appreciate the objective behind it. Also, some
could view this work as not as public as some of his other works that are composed of street art
or graffiti, being that this was a location to which people came to visit and had to buy tickets for.
The issue of public art in general has been up for discussion by several scholars. Amongst
those scholars is Dr. Peter Bengtsen from Lund University, whose expertise is on visual culture,
and art sociology. He has written many scholarly journals and articles that pertain to the subject
of public street art. In his publication, Beyond the Public Art Machine: A Critical Examination of
Street Art as Public Art, Bengtsen (2013) states:
although a vast amount of the artistic endeavors that go on in public space today
are neither sanctioned nor carried out by recognized artist, when discussing public
art there is still an inclination towards focusing on precisely the curated and
sanctioned work of professional artist, while unsanctioned expressions such as
graffiti and street art are largely left at the margins of debate. (pg.1)

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This statement gives insight on the conversations being held by experts on controversial pieces,
such as Banksys own, Dismaland. The use of space is then opening up the discussion, leaving
many experts with a divided approach.
Keeping this information in mind, and thinking about what implications street art has in
our society, further research was conducted in order to gain a better understanding. At the
University of Texas at El Paso, a survey was conducted amongst 20 undergraduate students. This
survey included questions regarding the complications of public art and the rhetorical use of
space. One of the questions was about the role of street art in our society, if it is harmful, or
helpful in challenging norms; to this question most students agreed that street art is playing a
positive role in bringing forth social change. Another question asked was about the validity of art
found outside of museums, and mostly in public spaces. To this students also agreed that
valuable art is not only found inside museums. (Sotomayor, 2016) . Taking this information from
the results of the research, one can say that the debate over the use of space in regards to art
remains a complicated one. While there are some that seem to agree altogether with the positive
aspects to it, there are still those who make up the smaller percentage in disagreeing with the use
of public spaces for the display of artwork.
With this information in mind, it is easy to understand that the conversation is not just
about how it is in a public space versus a private space. But how then is it that it comes into
context when also understanding the demographics and the opinions of those who are first
handedly being affected by the support and the disapproval that the work is receiving. Banksy
has been known to use this and make of his pieces to be highly debated. He strategically uses
space to generate specific reactions from the public, such as was the case in Dismaland.

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Is the reaction to his artwork complicated by the reputation the artist has made for himself? How
does this play a role in the critique he receives?

In the most recent years, perhaps the last decade, Banksy has become a widely known
street artist. There is something about the mystery to his character, and to the ambiguity of his
behavior that has attracted audiences from all over. Additionally, his street art has been found in
places all around the globe, which of course as a result has also played a role in the reputation the
artist has attained. As far as Dismaland, it is without question that it was expected to be as
controversial as the other pieces he has presented to the world. Not only is it controversial to
have created a satirical theme park that is meant to resemble the brokenness of the fantasy
presented by Disneyland, but his reputation has also influenced the reviews this park has
received.
To begin with, Banksy alone has received so much attention through his art of which
many scholars continue to discuss due to the impact this artist has in society. As Adam Barnard
states in his article The Anger Management is Not Working, Banksy has created artwork that
inspires, criticises, and beautifies. It brings humour, candour and colour to the dour physical and
political landscape.(2004, pg. 126). This statement helps in giving an idea about what it is that
is bringing so much attention to Banksys art. He is criticizing, and disputing the social order,
which is not something that is necessarily new, but it is in the way that he is doing it. Because of
how he does it, he has received both the good and bad reviews.
This is all important to consider when analyzing Dismaland and the attention it has
received. In a recent news broadcast, a UK news reporter Krishnan Guru-Murthy makes

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commentary on how different of a message this particular work is bringing. Most people could
have had expectations on what was to be found when visiting this park, but as Guru-Murthy
mentions, this is more about bringing the message of the ramifications of global injustice for the
generation to come. Not only is Banksy making a statement on this being a result of todays
society, but it is also a call for consciousness for the future generations to come. (Guru-Murthy,
2015).
Certainly with the message Banksy was projecting with this piece and his reputation, he
had several reporters writing articles, and filming newscast on Dismaland. Because his grotesque
theme park gained much attention from the media, there were a couple of individual interviews
made by the accredited Time magazine, who conducted a report on the work. For this magazine
article, the reporter Tara John interviewed a couple of locals who had interesting points to make.
The initial response was unexpectedly a positive one; many saw this as a means through which
the Weston-super-Mare economy would benefit. In fact, the article states that Dismaland is
being called the artists biggest project yet, and residents hope that it will revitalize Westonsuper-Mare. While one of the locals, Judith Groves agrees by stating that Dismaland is one of
the best things to happen to Weston (John, 2015). Within this same article however, the reporter
closes with the statement suggesting that by the simple act of putting Dismaland in Westonsuper-Mare, Banksy has opened the town to an international audience, with as yet uncertain
consequences. (John, 2015)
With these responses in mind, it is understood that Banksys messages in his art have had
an interrelated role with the reputation the artist has made and continues to make for himself.
Again, while some responses may be positive, there will be others to say that his work has some
unexpected implications in the forming of a stronger social resistance through public art.

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How is Banksy challenging political or social scripts in creating his controversial series theme
park Dismaland?

As the research supports, Banksy brilliantly challenges the dichotomies and paradigms
that are restricting society. In Dismaland, he worked in collaboration with many other artists to
bring about more awareness to how the public injustices the world is facing are traced back to
deeply integrated issues in society. The most notable aspect of all of this is how it is that the artist
is doing this. He is not the first to go against social and political scripts that operate together to
keep people living in oppression, but he is using art to do this.
By using art as a medium through which radical ideas are presented, Banksy is causing a
shift in the awareness of significant topics. This again may not be necessarily a new method
through which it is done, but it is different than what is usually done in formats such as speech
giving, or lectures. As discussed by the dancer, actor, and politician Mallika Sarabhai, on a Ted
Talk on how to dance to change the world, she mentions something that is found to be parallel to
the idea of using art to reshape rigid structures. She discusses what it is that makes art such a
unique form through which to present a pressing issue. Sarabhai mentions how art has a way of
breaking down the walls people have built up, and how it breaks these barriers when exploring
something that is not considered an easy topic. (Sarabhai, 2009)
Banksy uses this very same technique to deliver his messages, it is something very
different. This act in itself is challenging the systematic structures in place. Then taking it into a
larger scope, the legality of it complicates it even further. Street artist have to do what they do
differently, they have to do it in hiding. It is understood that street artist prefer not to be arrested

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and, therefore, prefer not to be caught red-handed at their own crime scenes. (Salib, 2016, pg.
2298) This makes the act of street art even more controversial because it can be classified to an
extent as vandalism, which is a crime in most countries. Although Dismaland is not necessarily
under the same context, it is still done by an artist that could by some be considered a criminal,
just by having displayed some of his works on privately owned property. However, an exception
to this would be if an artist receives permission to do his or her work in a public space. For
Dismaland, the artist did receive permission, but still had to work on this in hiding until the day
of the reveal.

Discussion
Having taken a look at the research behind this piece a better understanding is reached in
regards to how and why it is causing controversy. There are several influences and factors that
must be considered when critically thinking about the importance of art such as is produced by
Banksy. The issues begin with the rhetorical use of the space the artist uses, as well as the
reputation he has made for himself, and finally the cultural and political ideologies that are being
challenged by Dismaland. In the process of this inquiry, many articles and questions had to be
asked in order to ensure a well-rounded result. Conclusively, with what the information shows,
the theme park is radically presenting something very different to society.

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Bibliography
Alleyne, Allyssia. September 8, 2015.CNN.Retrieved from:
http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/20/arts/banksy-dismaland-art-exhibition/index.html
Barnard, Adam. The Anger Management is Not Working. Capital& Class. Conference Social
Economist . 2004.
Bengtsen, Peter.(2013) Beyond the Public Art Machine: A Critical Examination of Street Art as
Public Art. Volume 82, Issue 2.
Channel 4 News. Guru-Murthy. August 20, 2015.Dismaland:Inside Banksys dystopian
playground. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wruEnynr1w
John, Tara. August 22, 2015. Enter Dismaland: Banksys New Disneyland Parody Brings Life to
British Coastal Town. Time magazine. Retrieved from: http://time.com/4006579/dismalandbanksy/
Ted Talks. Sarabhai, Mallika .November 26, 2009. Dance to Change the World. Retrieved from:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LzX36s_hcs
Salib, Peter. (2015). The Law of Banksy: Who Owns Street Art? The University of Chicago Law
School.
Sotomayor, Jaqueline. University of Texas at El Paso. 2016. RWS2 Survey.