English
Talk about the background for the Dismaland project, what were you trying to achieve, depict, or illustrate?
Well, when I first heard about Dismaland, I was sure I definitely had to be there. I saw all the pics and videos from the leading media, I was stunned! But they all were missing one thing – people, just ordinary people. It was just a quick look at the freshly opened place. And my intention was to show how one interacts with the environment. Dismaland seemed to be the perfect match for that. So I booked the tickets to London and I was lucky enough to buy the entry ticket, which was pretty cheap (5 pounds), but you had to be quick to get one online.
How is Banksy an influence for you as a photographer?
At the age of 18 I was a part of a graffity crew, “official photographer”. I was completely into street art, I loved every aspect of it. Adventurous, illegal and changing the face of the city as a result – that’s what attracted and still attracts me to street art.
Bansky is street art concentrated, in my opinion. I’m also a big fan of dark humor and sarcasm in his work and how he laughs at mass culture. Some say he’s too pop, but haters always gonna hate. I also love how they used the parts of Dismaland for building shelters for refugees in Calais, France.
Tell us more about the creative process behind documenting Dismaland.
When I got to Weston-Super-Mare I immediately made my way to Dismaland, realising it became the main attraction in this town. So I decided to take a couple of pictures outside to show how it looks from the outside. When I got inside I took a quick walk around the park and started shooting afterwards. I was lucky I got into the park at 5 pm, so was able to use daylight for the first 1.5 hours. Then I focused on capturing all the attractions there. I didn’t try talking to too many people as I wanted things to look as unposed as possible.
I was surprised how fast this story got viral. From the small Russian blog it traveled to leading sites, and even The Daily Mail. I think the name of Banksy worked pretty much and the fact the park is already closed now.
What’s your perception towards Dismaland’s satiric spirit regarding child-friendly amusement parks?
This park works well for children, I think. And Dismaland was still an amusement park. A person of every age could have fun there. Someone could say it’s too dark and gloomy for young minds, but I think it’s compensated with a sense of humor that can be understood by people of all ages.
Technically speaking, what equipment did you use for this project? What made it so unique?
I used Leica M (Typ 240) and 35mm Summicron combo. My favourite lens is still 50mm summilux, but I decided to use something wider this time. It worked better than I thought. I was able to use a portrait and landscape lens at the same time. And I love the dynamic range of the camera where I can still use underexposed images from the camera. And nobody cares about film- looking camera nowadays, that’s great, too.
Please share a short description of the following images
The security check. What makes it unique – everything is made of cardboard. You should not forget to perceive everything as an irony.
The girl working at the park is telling how to open the billboard. Then you can put whatever you want in there, from birthday wishes to anti- establishment posters.
The post-apocalyptic microworld by James Cauty impressed me more than anything else. I can’t even imagine how long it took to built all that.
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