It’s been ten years since Dismaland landed in Weston-super-Mare, offering a satirical yet portentous forecast of what was to come. To mark the exhibition’s tenth anniversary, Weston Museum is hosting A Decade Since Dismaland – a display of photographs taken by Barry Cawston. In this adapted excerpt from his new book, Barry captures the spirit of Banksy’s provocative creation.
In what feels like the blink of an eye, a decade has slid by like a scoop of Mr Whippy ice cream falling, in slow motion, from a child’s cone into the Dismaland sand. A baffling, divisive, heart-wrenching decade it has been, too.
A decade ago, down the road from my home, I walked through the doors of Banksy’s bemusement park – and I was speechless. Heaven and hell seamlessly rolled into one immersive experience. Banksy’s pieces were highlights, as were the works of Spanish artist Paco Pomet and KLF frontman Jimmy Cauty’s apocalyptic model city. It was both myth and madness. And that is Banksy’s language.
I had always wanted to photograph a seaside town but was reluctant to follow in Martin Parr’s illustrious footsteps. Dismaland gave me the chance to plough a different furrow. I spent a year photographing the backstreets of Weston, blurring the lines between art and social documentary, reflecting Banksy’s and the other artists’ political and social artworks in the real world.
Out of it came a book and exhibition, Are We There Yet? A Daytrip to Banksy’s Disneyland and Other Stories. Banksy loved the book, and pictures from the series were on his website for three years. They are now the official images of Dismaland.
The year I spent on the project was set to end just after the referendum on Europe. Up until that point, I had characterised Dismaland as a dark mirror – a nightmare in drag. But with Brexit, we dropped the ice cream. Insularity and insanity seem to set the agenda, and Dismaland feels less pastiche, more prescient.
A Decade Since Dismaland runs until 22 November 2025 at Weston Museum
@dismaland_arewethereyet
barrycawston.com
