Hi,
It is art as marketing.
It is cynicism-lite.
In tune with Brit Art's long running strategy to dash any public
expectation that art might actually do, or say, or stand for anything...
other than to induce a series of dreary snorts of disappointment.
In the UK we are plagued by its repeated demands on our attention.
It has nothing to do with anarchism, which promotes the nurture and
co-ordination of diverse individual energies for mutual benefit.
Bleah!
On 22/08/15 15:17, James Morris wrote:
Hi Paolo,
Thanks for sharing..
Re the migrant boat... it occurrs to me, given the general theme,
banksy could have probably kicked up a greater storm in the press with
a remote control "smiler" rollercoaster ride, where one has to guide
an empty carriage to safety to prevent a carriage full of people
crashing into it and suffering serious injuries.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Smiler_%28roller_coaster%29#Incidents
Re the anarchism of it, I'd guess, entry-level, probably is what it
is: anarchism as little more than oppositional observations.
James
On 22/08/15 13:49, Paolo Ruffino wrote:
There are a few aspects that I find to be quite curious
1) the park is described from the home page as hosting a festival of
'... entry-level anarchism'
http://dismaland.co.uk/
What does it have to do with anarchism, exactly, and how is anarchism
intended here?
2) I see from the map that the park also has an art gallery, listed
as the number one attraction, and hosting 'the finest collection of
contemporary art'. That is where Hirst and co. can be seen, I suppose.
http://dismaland.co.uk/map/
How is that part of the anarchism? is it supposed to be part of that?
3) The migrant boat attraction has been seen in many of the reports
about Dismaland
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/08/20/17/2B8604CD00000578-3204653-image-a-105_1440087221163.jpg
After a long stay in Italy this summer, and having seen the images of
real migrants dying on the boats that cross the Mediterranean on
television news almost every day, I found this attraction to be indeed
quite disturbing, but also maybe uselessly so.
I don't want to be necessarily sceptic and I would seriously like to
visit the show before judging, I will give it the benefit of doubt.
However, I find the whole project to be more interested in shocking
the audience (and the press) than providing a critique, and a
strategic one for that matter. That is maybe what I find most annoying
with the use of the term 'anarchism', which I believe should be used
with caution - unless the whole point is, indeed, to just attract the
press and visitors. But if the term is used, and it is on this
occasion, then the show must also be evaluated from a political
standpoint, and that's when it becomes disappointing. How is the
migrant boat, for instance, telling us something other than what we
already know, and a part from having fun of our unwillingness to stop
this tragedy?
Seen from distance, it looks like a tired attempt, one that will
certainly generate rumours but that will be gone in 5 weeks from now.
I suspect the show will in fact be what it already claims to be, that
is, 'the UK's most disappointing new visitor's attraction'.
The problem that will remain for the rest of us, and after the show is
gone, is how to understand the distinction between parody and satire
in artistic practice, and if it is really necessary to evaluate
similar interventions from a political standpoint.
Best,
On 22 August 2015 at 12:45, James Morris <[email protected]> wrote:
any thoughts?
good? a good thing? bad? bad in a good way? or just indifferent.
saw on ch4 news one of the artists had never been an artist before,
this
alongside such giants as everyone's favourite: damien hirst.
if damien's there, maybe tracy should be too, but i would like to offer
another solutionm, tracy could come back to her home town and collect
rubbish off the streets - discarded matresses, crt monitors, sofas -
that
people can't be bothered to take to the tip - and perhaps rejuvinate
these
items into works of art?
oh sorry. back to dismaland, i would be tempted to visit if it was less
inconvenient, ie, it was just down the road so i didn't have to
venture out
of thanet. it's only open for 5 weeks.
there you are then, that's the sum total of my dismal thoughts toward
dismaland.
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