My husband is a mega Disney-phile. What he loves about Disneyland and Disney World is a utopian sense of meticulous perfection. One of his greatest joys is walking through the gates when they open to see Main Street still pristine and wet from its regular cleaning. Not a scrap of rubbish anywhere. Everything picture ideal. The innocence of this realm, which intensifies with his willing suspension of disbelief, is mystical. To him anyway.
Having such places like amusement parks and resorts does summon for deeper inquiry. For example, why do we need such places? We clearly must need them as they are so numerous and over the top. Such places couldn't exist and thrive unless people felt the need to patronize them.
Clearly a place like Dismaland is the art world's way of having us look in the mirror and question: What are we doing here?
What if we could in fact create some sort of utopian "Heaven on Earth." Is it that far fetched an idea? Perhaps.
The piece de resistance for Dismaland is the faltering castle, anchoring the exhibition. Inside is an overturned carriage with a blonde princess dangling upside down from it as Paparazzi fiercely rapid click their cameras to capture the moment from every possible angle. Sound familiar? Princess Diana much?
Herein lies another paradox. The Paparazzi wouldn't be employed if we didn't feed on their content.
Though the Dalai Lama is often attributed for this, David Orr put it best when he said, "The world doesn't need more 'successful people.' The world desperately needs more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers and lovers of all kinds."
Amen. Namaste. Amituofo.
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