ABOVE CREDIT: Wikimedia Commons. ALL OTHER PHOTOS: Martin Barratt, except where noted.
by Martin Barratt
Dismaland® closed on September 26th; should you be happy or sad that you missed it?
Maybe you haven’t heard about it.
Dismaland® was a sort of theme park produced by Banksy in Weston super Mare, UK; the seaside resort he used to go to as a kid. To quote Wikipedia, “Banksy is a pseudonymous English graffiti artist, political activist, film director, and painter. His satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine dark humour with graffiti executed in a distinctive stencilling technique.”
Here’s an example from inside Dismaland®.
In a rare interview with the Guardian newspaper Banksy was quoted as saying, “In essence it’s a festival of art, amusements and entry-level anarchism. A place where you can get your counterculture easily available over the counter. A theme park for the disenfranchised, with franchises available. I guess you’d say it’s a theme park whose big theme is – theme parks should have bigger themes.” and “I asked myself: what do people like most about going to look at art? The coffee. So I made an art show that has a cafe, a cocktail bar, a restaurant and another bar. And some art.”
So Dismaland® is a theme park with art in it, or maybe an art gallery pretending to be a theme park. Banksy’s reputation was enough to stimulate more than 150,000 people to find out in just over a month. Had it been open year round, that would be enough to put it into the top twenty most visited parks in Europe.
Having decided that I had to visit I set about buying a ticket online. Not an easy task. It was certainly the worst online ticketing site I’ve ever used; some of my friends couldn’t get through it at all, but more by luck than judgement I managed to buy four tickets for 11 a.m. on a Wednesday in September. Because we didn’t arrive before 11 a.m. we joined a queue to get in and waited an hour and a half in the sun and rain. There is a theory that the experience was designed to be difficult, with one frustrated punter tweeting, “I guess the misery of queuing and a crashing website is part of the satire #Dismaland”. I’m not sure about that, but the fact that there was only one person checking bags would support it; just one more person bag-checking would have halved the queue time.
The staff were really enjoying being dismal. One of my companions was stopped and searched because he was smiling too much; we were careful after that not to be seen overly enjoying ourselves. One thing I found interesting was that when you tell staff to be rude, disinterested and monosyllabic they end up behaving very like staff you encourage to be friendly and welcoming. I walked into town later in the day and visited another attraction, where the staff were chatting amongst themselves, ignoring the customers while looking bored and disinterested. Maybe the only difference between them was that you could tell the Dismaland® staff were having a good time being sullen.
A Dismal balloon seller, note the ears… Did you ever imagine that people would pay to carry a balloon proclaiming “I am an imbecile”? Maybe Banksy doesn’t like us after all.
Inside there were plenty of queues too, despite the best efforts of the staff, who were quick to yell ‘move along’ at anyone who idled. It’s funny, but when we met a member of staff who was friendly and helpful we were a bit taken aback; off message is off message even when the message is dismal…
The things I didn’t enjoy (and I’m sure I wasn’t meant to) were the tents staffed by well-meaning trade union officials and save the earth campaigners. I may have only paid £5 to get in, but I resent paying to be preached at.
But everything else was dismally delightful. I especially liked the Cinema, showing some brilliant short films. It was hard to tear ourselves away, even if the seating was a lot less than comfortable. You can see the seats in this postcard of the Lido. Those were happier and sunnier times when it wasn’t derelict and unloved.
The pool has all but gone now, as have the diving boards.
Other highlights included Cinderella’s Castle where we were invited to “Step inside and see how it feels to be a real Princess”. Poor Cinder’s coach had crashed on leaving the ball and we find her slumped out of the coach, surrounded by Paparazzi and deafened by the shrill Parisian police sirens. The photo-op was a nice touch, and we carried away our souvenir photos of the ghastly scene, posing coyly behind the paparazzi’s scooters.
I have a little knowledge of moveable rides in the UK, so I chose not to experience anything that moved, such as the big wheel or the rotating caravan, but I enjoyed the Punch & Julie, even though they had to introduce allusions to 50 Shades of Grey and Jimmy Saville. Like all good theme park designers, Banksy and his team had paid attention to the themeing; the general ambience of the place. So we had an Orca jumping through a hoop out of a toilet bowl. This was one of the only direct references to an actual theme park; I’m sure you know the ones I mean…
The genuine Belfast armour plated riot control vehicle, with its water cannon providing a spectacular fountain, was an excellent photo-opportunity, as was the Little Mermaid, artfully sliced and reassembled. There was always a crowd around the Payday Loans 4 Kids cabin: advertising advances on your pocket money today. The only way to catch a glimpse of the company’s punitive interest rate was by bouncing on a trampoline.
But every theme park has a star attraction and Dismaland®’s was The Galleries. As with several other places in the park there was no attention paid to customer safety. In the almost total darkness of the first room there were steps and trip hazards; were people injured? No-one appeared to be when I was in the room, we moved slowly once we realised we were in danger. The sitemap says that “Dismaland® boasts three large galleries which together comprise the finest collection of contemporary art ever assembled in a North Somerset seaside town.” This hardly a measure of excellence. I would say it was one of finest collections of modern art I have ever seen.
I loved the cut away fairground horse and the snake who had eaten Mickey Mouse (or a mouse who looked very much like him).
So what did it all mean? Was it about theme parks, or was it a commentary on the state of the world? In his written foreword to Dismaland®’s brochure, Banksy suggests that in the face of “global injustice”, “climate catastrophe” and “a lack of meaningful jobs”, today’s children should be taught that “maybe all that escapism will have to wait”. That’s where Dismaland® makes its comment on our industry. Is riding out your day on theme park rides the equivalent of riding to hell in a handcart? Fiddling while western civilization burns? I guess that’s where I depart from Banksy’s dystopian world view.
I don’t think that anyone who went to Dismaland® did so unless they already shared quite a few of Banksy’s standpoints and opinions, (unless they just wandered in off the prom thinking the Lido had re-opened. In which case they must have had quite a shock). But how many of the 150,000 were inspired to join a cause, raise a protest or even write to their MP? The busiest place in the park was the shop where everyone was buying T-shirts to show they had been, the equivalent of a facebook selfie. Did we all think that was enough? That we had done our bit and could now relax? Unfortunately for Banksy and his friends I would say yes.
And now the question on every attraction develops lips; is it replicable? Could we chain it, or franchise it to operators in China and the UAE? The answer is a definitive no. We all went because it was Banksy, and he is not replicable or commercialisable. Sometimes we just have to recognise when we see unique.
Martin Barratt, Non-Executive Director at Paragon Entertainments, is an experienced operator and developer of visitor attractions. During his long career he has worked in and for theme parks, water parks, national museums, stately homes, castles, factory tours, heritage centres, farm parks and piers. He is currently a Board Member of the European and Middle East Division at the Themed Entertainment Association
Martin has worked for some of the largest attraction companies, such as Merlin Entertainments Group and the Tussauds Group, as well as developing and opening The Royal Armouries in Leeds and the Wedgwood Factory Tour. He has been personally responsible for building and running numerous attractions, and since 2004 has given advice to over 100 clients and many blue chip firms.
Istanbul, Turkey (October 5, 2015) — Polin introduces a unique, new Class-A signature ride: the Space Race waterslide. The ride’s geometry is similar to other bowl-type slides, such as Polin’s own Space Boat – a tube ride that launches from a tower, shoots riders down a chute and into a bowl where they gain ever-increasing velocity as centrifugal force sends them shooting around and around before they plummet through the bottom.
That’s where similarities end between the Space Race and all other family slides.
The Space Race introduces a wholly new opportunity for fun by giving groups of riders a chance to compete as they urge their teammates to be the fastest in crossing the finish line. The slide pits two four-rider family rafts against each other. The rafts enter the bowl from opposite directions at a speed of more than 43 kilometers per hour (27 miles per hour). Separated by a patent-pending divider, the eight riders follow identical helical routes, starting at the perimeter and ending at the center of the bowl. The giant specially designed basin allows the racing teams to see each other as they careen around the bowl, providing incentive for them to lean, bend, crouch and tilt in every way possible to give them an advantage in increasing their speed to gain an edge over their opponents.
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Eventually, the teams exit the bowl at the center, shooting in opposite directions as they finalize their sliding adventure via two separate but identical dry or pool run-outs.
Another distinctive characteristic of the Space Race is its entry tower. Riders begin building their adrenaline rush even before they step into their rafts due to the tower’s design. It allows all riders to see other teams competing against one another as they wait their turn to enter the race. As they view other riders, they can start to develop their “secret” competitive advantages for racing through the 218-meter (715-foot) attraction’s slide path.
Once they reach the top, riders face the exact same challenge as their opposing team, providing a rush as they speed through every twist and turn while safely separated from collisions. At the end, riders can congratulate one another as the winner is announced.
Specs on this specialty ride include:
–Maximum capacity (120 x 8 riders per hour)
–Optional “Natural Light Effects” (which allows the sun’s rays to stream into the tube via translucent stripes and/or other designs to create a different experience on every ride), “Natural Sound Effects” and “Special Pattern Effects” (which allow a variety of theming and patterns on the slide’s surface)
–Unique tower centered between the two raft entry points
–A “shared” slide experience with others in the queue
–A distinctive, attention-grabbing appearance with the attraction’s massive size ( iconic design)
–Exclusive options when combined with other slides via specialty design considerations offered in consultation with Polin’s design team professionals
–Translucent applications
–A 13/20 percent slope
–Resin-transfer molding (RTM) technology to create perfectly smooth, shiny slide components inside and outside with perfect component alignment.
–Space requirements of 20 meters high and 66 meters by 52 meters wide (65 feet high and 216 feet by 170 feet wide)
–Bowl size of 5 meters (16 feet) high by 26 meters (85 feet) in diameter and an angle of 15 degrees.
Carlsbad, CA, USA (October 5, 2015) – Thousands of little super heroes, witches, pirates and more were spotted all over LEGOLAND California Resort on Saturday for the first evening of Brick-or-Treat Party Nights, presented by Shutterfly. The biggest kids’ Halloween celebration in San Diego kicked off this weekend offering children and their families trick-or-treating and entertainment throughout the Park, including inside the new LEGO Friends Heartlake City.
Every Saturday night (Oct. 10,17 & 24) plus Friday Oct. 30 starting at 5 p.m., the Park will continue to transform into a not-too-spooky Halloween festival featuring a variety of fun activities including the new Candy Quest walk-through at the Adventurers’ Club in Fun Town, a Fall Festival complete with Pumpkin Patch Building and blue-grass style music in LEGO Friends Heartlake City, interactive story-telling, seven treat stations with specialty items including a LEGO NINJAGO giveaway and commemorative Brick, new roaming candy carts throughout the Park and two bonus treat stations inside SEA LIFE Aquarium. Plus, LEGOLAND Hotel joins in the fun with its own Halloween party on Oct. 31 with candy giveaways, a dance party and a special visit from the Mail Order Monsters exclusively for Hotel guests.
Brick-or-Treat Party Nights is a special event and admission can be purchased for as low as $35 if purchased online in advance. Special event ticket holders can enjoy costume contests, trick-or-treating for children 12 and under at treat stations and candy carts throughout LEGOLAND California Resort where kids can gather tasty goodies and other surprises from trail partners: Shutterfly, LEGO, Clif Kids, Honest Kids, Red Vines, SMARTCANDY and and Airheads. The LEGO themed treat stations and candy carts offer a safe, fun and entertaining trick-or-treating experience for all to enjoy with festive music, live entertainment including the hilarious “Boo Crew,” a dazzling animated Spirits of Brick-or-Treat light show, and family favorite, the Ghost Cruise Scavenger Hunt.
Guests can also “boo-gie” down at frighteningly-fun dance parties: Hubble Bubble’s Dance Party atop the Model Shop in Miniland, Wanda’s Jellyfish Disco at SEA LIFE Aquarium, plus sing and dance along to the music and mayhem in the Monster Fighter Mash featured on the main stage in Miniland U.S.A. Special event guests can also enjoy entertainment from The Witchettes, Bluegrass Band Jamboree and a special LEGO Friends meet and greet in Heartlake City.
In the Halloween spirit, community sponsor Union Bank donated 300 tickets to allow winners to visit this year’s Brick-or-Treat festivities during the first weekend of the month-long celebration. LEGOLAND California and SEA LIFE Aquarium are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on select dates throughout October.
Marineland reports that all filtration systems are operational and animals are in clean, clear water.
The following animals survived the storm and were able to be saved. In some areas, this may contradict with earlier information received from the park listed in earlier updates:
At Marineland – eight turtles, all birds including penguins, all dolphins, all five killer whales, all sea lions, and all three polar bears. At Kid’s Island – ponies, donkeys, lemurs, llamas, pigs, ferrets, gerbils, rats, and all birds.
The following animals are on record as having perished in the storm and flood:
At Marineland – four turtles, some rays, fish such as sea bass in outdoor exhibits. At Kid’s Island – rabbits, guinea pigs, chickens, goats, and sheep.
In addition, the park’s tropical aquarium and facilities including the sharks in the walk through tunnel tank, were severely damaged with loss of animal life.
The resort is expected to be fully operational again by February.
UPDATE Oct 7, 2015:
The Department of Alpes-Maritimes, which makes up the center portion of the Côte d’Azur or French Riviera, stretches from Menton in the Northeast to Cannes in the Southwest. Between the two lies Nice, and between Nice and Cannes lies the small resort town of Antibes, home of the Marineland Resort.
Marineland was founded as a marine life park in 1970 and was purchased by Spanish theme park operator Parques Reunidos in 2006. It is currently completing a 30 million euro expansion transitioning it into a comprehensive resort comprised of the Marineland park, Kid’s Island (interactive rides and animal experiences), Adventure Golf (featuring five miniature golf courses themed to the works of Jules Verne), the Aquasplash waterpark, Marineland Lagoon (a Discovery Cove-type upscale experience), and a resort hotel.
A HARD RAIN’S A-GONNA FALL
On Friday, October 3, the area started to see record rainfall. Between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m., 196 mm/7.7 inches had fallen in Cannes, 109 mm/4.3 inches in Nice, enough to fulfill the expected monthly rainfall in the city predicted for the month of October, and in Antibes, 128 mm/5 inches.
It immediately became clear that the region was unprepared for such a storm and that tragedy would soon follow. On the second day of the rain, as the Riou de l’Argentière stream in the town of Mandelieu-la-Napoule began to overflow its banks, eight residents of the same neighborhood raced their cars to their underground car parks in an effort to make it home to safety, only to be drowned within minutes by the oncoming surge.
In Cannes, the opulent city best known for its wealthy visitors and famous film festival, nine people were arrested for looting on the second night of the rain, with the police continuing their search for many more. When the rain subsided in Cannes, rats left the flooded basements they usually reside in to feast on detritus that had been swept downhill through the city to its famous beaches.
THE RIVER IS WIDE
Photo via Google Maps. Iconography by InPark Magazine.
Two days of record rain caused streams, creeks, and rivers to swell. In Antibes, bodies of water ranging from the Brague River (A) to the smaller Vallon des Horts stream (B) grew higher with each passing hour. Where the two converge (C), the force of two raging currents uniting caused a surging high energy wave to crash over the bank early Saturday night. Some reports state that a levy may have been broken around this point.
The wave first swept through the Pylône campground (D), favored by British retirees, who rent the trailers and mobile homes placed throughout the property. 62 year old British tourist Linda Martinez was drowned inside her trailer as the wave crashed through.
Following the campground, the wave next hit Antibes Land (E), a small local amusement park. French television network TF 1 reported that children kept from being swept away by waiting out the flood on top of a Toboggan slide. According to the network, a showman unable to make it to his trailer held onto a pole while the water raged around him.
DIRTY WATER
The water then arrived at the wide empty parking lot of the Marineland Resort. At this point, the crest of the wave was 2 meters/6.5 feet high. The water spread into multiple directions. Part of it went into the southern part of the Resort, where it flooded the first floor of the hotel and the park’s sea lion and penguin pools with mud and debris collected from the river and elsewhere along the flood’s journey. The dolphin show tank was spared due the grandstand’s position in relation to the oncoming wave. However, the aquarium (F) was hit hard, with all sharks and tropical fish dying due to contamination.
The remainder of the resort, including the waterpark (G) and Kid’s Island were also hit hard. Most of the smaller petting zoo animals perished. A Marineland manager reported seeing a fox swimming near the hotel. The wave circled around the large killer whale stadium, the only facility in continental Europe housing the animals, inundating the five large tanks. At the same time, it went through a portion of Marineland Lagoon (H), picking up turtles and rays and dropping some of them in an adjacent parking lot (I). Turtles were found around the property, including one in a flooded filtration room.
Since the storm, the goal of the park’s management has been to bring life support systems, damaged by both flooding and loss of power in the town, back online as soon as possible. The Department of Alpes-Maritimes has made it a priority to bring both Marineland and Biot Glass, whose furnaces were damaged by flooding, back to operational status as they are the two top tourism attractions in the area – Marineland bringing in 1.2 million visitors and Biot Glass 700,000 – tourists that invest heavily in the local economy.
60 firefighters have been assisting park personnel with animal care. They pumped out dirty water and pumped back in seawater to the tanks. However, the problem has remained that chillers and filtration are needed to keep the animals alive and healthy. The park’s management reports that all mammals are alive and accounted for, but many online, both supporters and objectors to such parks, have expressed concern that footage of these animals has been few and far between.
CHINA GROVE
It will take millions of Euros to bring the park back to its pre-storm state. More immediately, a highly vocal opposition to marine life parks has now added the flooding of Marineland to its repertoire and are discussing bringing up the incident on October 8 during a public hearing in Long Beach, CA, USA, where the California Coastal Commission is expected to vote on approval of SeaWorld San Diego’s proposed Blue World Project. Conversely, the flooding of Marineland could also be to SeaWorld’s advantage should the park be able to show that it has a contingency plan in place for such a disaster.
The other impact on the flood and response is how it might affect the value of parent chain Parques Reunidos. Taken off market a few months ago, Spanish publication El Confidencial reports that Morgan Stanley has provided a prospectus on the company to potential buyers from China. According to El Confidencial, the two companies that appear most interested are Dalian-Wanda group, which just opened a new outdoor theme park in China and is 20% owner of Atlético de Madrid (one of Spain’s most popular football teams, based in the same city as Parques Reunidos’ headquarters), and Fosun, the owner of Club Med and 51% owner of Thomas Cook’s Chinese operations. The alleged asking price is 2.5 billion Euros.
InPark will continue to update this piece as more information becomes available.
ORIGINAL POST:
Antibes, France (October 4, 2015) —Reports from France indicate that the storm related flooding that hit the Côte d’Azur this weekend inundated Marineland with water, mud, and other debris. Park officials have told French media that they have lost all life support systems and that 90% of the park is currently flooded.
Marineland Antibes is the only location in Western Europe housing killer whales. The resort, owned by Parques Reunidos, is in the midst of a 30 million Euro expansion.
Beijing, China — Wanda Xishuangbanna International Resort, located in Jinghong in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, occupies an area of 5.3 square kilometers and is Wanda’s third major domestic tourism project, having received a total joint investment of RMB16 billion makes this the largest investment in a cultural and tourism project in Southwest China, and is proud to hold the highest levels of quality in the region. The resort includes a world-class outdoor theme park, a first-class international stage show, luxury resort hotels, a lakeside bar street, a Wanda Plaza, and the only first-rate international hospital in Xishuangbanna.
Xishuangbanna Wanda Theme Park is Wanda’s first world-class outdoor theme park, with strong local cultural characteristics from Xishuangbanna. The theme park boasts five major sections – Butterfly Kingdom, Jungle Adventure, Ancient Tea Horse Road, Fisherman’s Wharf, and the Water Park – and feature alongside spectacular performances that beautifully incorporate local culture, such as the ice musical “Princess Butterfly”, the carnival parade “Princess Peacock”, and the water stunt show “The Mermaid”. The park features 27 large recreational facilities that have achieved a number of records in China, and some have also broken records in Asia. The speed roller coaster is the only roller coaster in Asia that runs through a rainforest, and the 45 -meter-high water roller coaster, with a speed of 100/mph, is the tallest and fastest in Asia. The park also houses Asia’s largest artificial wave pool, complete with a 4,600 square meter beach and the ability to create a 2.5 meter high wave, and the “Sky Shuttle” achieves a vertical drop of 60 meters and offers visitors an experience of weightlessness.
RMB2 billion was invested towards constructing the 1200 seat capacity Dai Show Theatre. The theatre building was designed by the late Mark Fischer, a renowned architect whose previous appointments include having served as the artistic director for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympic Games, Guangzhou Asian Games and London Olympic Games. The theatre is shaped like a bamboo hat, an embodiment of unique Dai culture, and has already gained landmark status in Xishuangbanna. The Dai Show performance, orchestrated by one of the world’s top theatre directors, Mr. Franco Dragone, blends together a mixture of Xishuangbanna culture, stunt performances and high-tech stage facilities to create an unrivaled international theatrical performance.
The resort area consists of one six-star hotel and two four-star hotels, offering 1050 guest rooms and 1500 beds.
“These facilities are poised to revolutionize tourism in Yunnan as a whole and elevate the standard of tourism in Xishuangbanna and the region to unprecedented heights,” said Wang Jianlin, Chairman of Dalian Wanda Group. “The landmark project heralds the transition and transformation of Yunnan tourism, and will absolutely become the new gold standard, a new representative, and a new calling card for tourism in the region. Tourism is a key developing industry in Wanda’s fourth transformation, and we intend to become the largest travel company around the world, with 200 million tourists and realize a revenue of RMB100 billion within five years. Wanda breaks through traditional business models to create its unique products, and has built a complete tourism industry chain to realize the perfect integration of online and offline. And as the only national high-tech enterprise engaged in domestic planning and design, Wanda Cultural Tourism Planning & Research Institute has the capacity to continuously research high-tech cultural tourism products. We are very confident that we can maintain a high level of tourist traffic and establish the resort as a brand new travel destination in China, and even the world.”
Xishuangbanna Resort Grand Opening Speech by Wang Jianlin
Distinguished Governor of Yunnan Mr. Chen Hao, ladies and gentlemen:
As we reach the eve of Mid-Autumn Festival, Xishuangbanna Resort welcomes you to its grand opening ceremony. First of all, let me begin by offering warm greetings and my sincere gratitude for your attendance here today!
Xishuangbanna Resort is Wanda’s third major domestic tourism project and occupies 5.3 square kilometers. The resort’s total investment of RMB15 billion makes this the largest investment in a cultural and tourism project in Southwest China, and is proud to hold the highest levels of quality in the region. The resort is comprised of a large world-class theme park that draws on local characteristics, a first-class international stage show, high-end hotels, a lakeside bar street, a Wanda Plaza, and the only first-class hospital in Xishuangbanna. These facilities are set to revolutionize Yunnan tourism and raise its standard of tourism in Xishuangbanna and the region to unprecedented heights. The landmark project heralds the transition and upgrade of Yunnan tourism, and will absolutely become the new gold standard, a new representative, and a new calling card for tourism in the region.
Tourism is a key developing industry in Wanda’s fourth transformation, and in five years, we intend to become the largest travel company around the world. Wanda breaks through traditional business models to create its unique products, and has built a complete tourism industry chain to realize the perfect integration of online and offline. And as the only national high-tech enterprise in domestic planning and design, Wanda Cultural Tourism Planning & Research Institute has the capacity to continuously research high-tech cultural tourism products. For this reason, we are very confident that we can maintain a high level of tourist traffic and establish the resort as a brand new travel destination in China, and even the world.
Xishuangbanna Resort is a brand new challenge for Wanda. We’ve experienced countless hardships and overcome many difficulties during its four years of construction to get to where we are today, to witness its fantastic opening. On behalf of Dalian Wanda Group, I would like to express heartfelt thanks to the Yunnan provincial government, the Xishuangbanna government, the Jinghong municipal government and the other functional departments at all levels, for their great support! I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to all of our partners who participated in this project, and may I extend my special thanks to the Wanda team, who are responsible for construction and operations. You’ve made an incredible contribution to this project. Thank you all!
Dalian Wanda Group also signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Yunnan Province today. Wanda will invest RMB95 billion to develop 19 Wanda Plazas, and will also build more innovative and high-tech cultural tourism projects in Kunming, with total investment reaching RMB130 billion. Wanda will make further contributions to the development of Yunnan, especially its tourism industry.
Tomorrow is the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival in China. On behalf of Dalian Wanda Group, I would like to wish you a happy holiday and a joyous family reunion!
Gulfport, MS, USA (Sept 30, 2015) —Over the past several months, the Gulfport Redevelopment Commission has requested and accepted proposals from architectural firms for the design of the Mississippi Aquarium at Gulfport. The requests for proposals sought nationally recognized designers to team with local firms to provide Gulfport with a unique aquarium experience.
After reviewing a number of proposals and interviewing firms, the GRC announces that the Commission will be entering into contract negotiations with the team of Eley Guild Hardy (EGH) and PGAV of St. Louis, Missouri. EGH, with offices in Gulfport, Biloxi, and Jackson, is responsible for many of the designs we see today in Gulfport, including the Robert J. Curry Public Safety Center and the Jones Park project which includes the Barksdale Pavilion.
PGAV is the themed industry’s largest independent design firm and has designed over $5 billion in themed entertainment venues. Clients include Busch Gardens, Herschend Family Entertainment, Samsung, SeaWorld, Universal Studios, Georgia Aquarium, and the Grand Aquarium at Hong Kong’s Ocean Park. Additionally, other clients include Bass Pro Shops, National Geographic and the Kennedy Space Center.
“Today is a milestone for the future of Gulfport, the State of Mississippi, and the region. This aquarium will bring a much needed place where families can come together to explore and to learn about the wonders of the aquatic world,” said Carole Lynn Meadows, Chairperson. “We see this aquarium as a catalyst of development in Gulfport and an enhancement to the growing tourism industry in the Coastal region. Now, the fun begins as we work with our designers in bringing the community’s vision of the Mississippi Aquarium at Gulfport to reality.”
Chicago, IL, USA (Sept 30, 2015) — Text and images courtesy Lucas Museum for Narrative Art
Merging Architecture and Landscape
THE ARCHITECTURAL TEAM
The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art’s building is designed by award-winning architect Ma Yansong of MAD Architects. Chicago-based VOA is the project’s architect of record. Studio Gang Architects and SCAPE Landscape Architects are designing the landscape.
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
A landmark sculptural building, the Lucas Museum’s state-of-the-art facility will add to the rich legacy of architectural innovation in Chicago. Architect Ma Yansong envisions a spatial experience that responds to the lake, the cityscape and the sky. The path of visitor travel, the extraordinary shape of the building and its materials will inspire stories within the Museum.
View from Northerly Island
LANDSCAPE DESIGN
The Museum’s new green spaces, designed by Chicago-based Jeanne Gang of Studio Gang Architects and Kate Orff of SCAPE, evoke the historic topography and native vegetation of the lakeshore. This diverse and enriching park landscape replaces what was previously covered in asphalt. Distinct zones within the new park spaces provide a variety of educationally rich and inviting experiences with nature and are accessible to all park visitors.
Bird’s Eye View
Left: Existing / Right: Proposed
View from Plaza
MUSEUM CAMPUS
The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is honored to stand alongside Chicago’s celebrated community of distinguished institutions on the lakeshore museum campus.
Palo Alto, CA, USA —Jaunt, a leading company pioneering cinematic virtual reality (VR), has announced a $65 million series C round of funding led by The Walt Disney Company*; Evolution Media Partners – a partnership of CAA-backed Evolution Media Capital, TPG Growth and Participant Media; and China-based China Media Capital (CMC). The new investors will greatly expand Jaunt’s global reach, providing significant resources and relationships to help make VR the next mainstream content medium.
Jaunt leads the industry in innovation through its unrivaled end-to-end solution for creating and distributing premium live-action VR. This latest round of funding will enable Jaunt to significantly scale up VR production, and advance their professional-grade camera hardware and software production tools, delivering content to the widest array of mobile devices and VR hardware in the industry. In addition, Jaunt plans to use the funding to significantly grow their teams in both their Palo Alto headquarters and their new Los Angeles studio.
Additional new investors in the Series C round include leading European media companies ProSiebenSat.1 SE and Axel Springer SE, and The Madison Square Garden Company. They join existing participating investors that include Google Ventures, Highland Capital, Redpoint Ventures, Sky and SV Angel. The new round brings Jaunt’s total funding to over $100 million and positions the company as the best-capitalized player in content creation and technology for cinematic VR. With these new additions, Jaunt’s investor group offers a global network of deep ties to the largest brands, franchises, talent and technologies, across all entertainment and media, as well as partners who add unique perspective and experience as Jaunt continues to expand and innovate.
“This round further illustrates our commitment and dedication to advancing the scope of cinematic VR – for filmmakers, storytellers, and audiences alike,” said Jens Christensen, CEO and co-founder of Jaunt. “With the support of these world-class companies, we will explore new avenues, building on our leadership position to deliver amazing VR experiences using best-in-class tools, technology, and creative teams.”
“Brands, artists, and creatives are looking to reach and interact with their audiences in new innovative ways, and Jaunt’s expertise provides a groundbreaking medium for exploring these new avenues,” said Rick Hess, founder and Co-Managing Partner of Evolution Media Partners. “We look forward to working with Jaunt as they continue to pioneer in this space, giving them access to our wide-reaching network, and expanding on their distribution potential.”
In recent years, advances in technology and mobile devices have made fully-immersive VR possible and accessible to the masses. Jaunt is at the forefront of this content revolution, and is partnering with the leading content creators as well as technology and media companies to take VR to the next level. Jaunt currently works with notable brands and creative artists including The North Face, Rebecca Minkoff, Condé Nast and ABC News, and is looking forward to building relationships with new and innovative creators across a wide variety of verticals.
“We have been closely monitoring the evolution of video technology on the global horizon, and are excited about the potential for VR. It is having implications in areas such as film, television, games, sports, mobile, as well as other entertainment content and experiences where CMC has a profound connection and substantial engagement,” said Ruigang Li, Chairman of China Media Capital. “Jaunt will be an important step in CMC’s foray into this global entertainment technology revolution.”
“When Jaunt launched a little over 2 years ago, VR was the domain of a few enthusiasts like us,” said David Anderman, Jaunt’s Chief Business Officer. “Fast forward to today, with the ability to view VR content on any current smartphone, and a half dozen head mounted displays launching in the next 12 months, the addressable number of users will instantly be in the millions, and quickly grow from there. We look forward to supplying great content to all those users and contributing to the success of VR as a new content medium.”
This funding comes on the heels of Jaunt’s recently-announced 5th generation patent pending camera system, officially named Jaunt ONE, which is built from the ground up for VR, and after two years of testing, pushes the limits of technological innovation. The company also announced Jaunt Studios earlier this year, a new arm of the company focused solely on developing, producing and collaborating on live-action virtual reality experiences from its LA studio.
Fenwick & West and The Raine Group advised Jaunt on the transaction.
*The interest is owned by a wholly owned subsidiary of TWDC.
St Louis, MO, USA — As the State of Oklahoma and Oklahoma City negotiate the future of the under-construction American Indian Cultural Center and Museum and its land, the City has retained St. Louis consulting and design firm PGAV to evaluate options for the future of the property.
“We enjoyed working with the City officials and City staff on the Bricktown assignment and are pleased to see the successful development that occurred as a result of that work and the City’s vision,” said John Brancaglione, vice president at PGAV and consulting team lead. “This project presents an array of challenges in assisting the City with the critical decisions it must make, and we’re eager to help the City take on those challenges.”
PGAV serves as a powerful and unique ally in analyzing the future of the property, both in terms of its regional economic influence as well as potential future uses for the facility and grounds. The firm brings five decades of successful experience in economic development strategy for communities around the world and regionally, such as the Missouri DREAM project and the City of Chicago. In addition, PGAV has designed and consulted for hundreds of individual museums, zoos, aquariums, resorts, and theme parks across the globe, such as Space Shuttle Atlantis at the Kennedy Space Center, Table Rock Welcome Center at Niagara Falls, and the Georgia Aquarium.
Over the course of the next three months, PGAV will be meeting with key City officials and evaluating the existing facility and surrounding area to develop specific recommendations relative to the viability of its future commercial development. The team will be analyzing the ability of future development to support required infrastructure and site preparation work, contribute to operations of the Center, and to generate additional capital costs necessary to complete the Center.
PGAV will be developing recommendations that can help the area succeed commercially given either of two potential outcomes: the completion and opening of the fully operational museum and cultural center, or the adaptive reuse of the existing structure and grounds.
“Over the course of our five decades of practice, PGAV has addressed numerous regional economic development opportunities across the country,” said Brancaglione. “In Oklahoma City, we previously helped analyze and recommend strategies for 25 acres of Bricktown located in Downtown.” PGAV has additionally conducted similar studies for Patriot’s Point near Charleston, South Carolina; the Buncombe Tourism Development Authority in Asheville, NC; and St. Johns County in Florida. PGAV has conducted development strategy and economic analysis assignments throughout the country including more than 20 separate locations throughout the City of Chicago and in Australia and New Zealand.
PGAV will be presenting its study and recommendations to Oklahoma City this December.
ABOVE: At the TEA NextGen “Superheroes Breakfast” TEA Summit co-chair Roberta Perry of ETI (right) talks to NextGen member Tim Higley.
Burbank, CA, USA — The Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) announced during its annual SATE conference (Sept 17-18) that Arielle Rassel would step up to chair the TEA NextGen Committee. Arielle Rassel is Associate Production Designer for Universal Creative. She will succeed outgoing chair Clara Rice, Director of Digital Engagement and Media Relations, Jack Rouse Associates.
Arielle was a student member of TEA for several years and credits her connection with the TEA NextGen initiative as playing a major part in helping establish her career. Her report of those experiences in this article for InPark Magazine is an excellent chronicle of what a talented and motivated person can do when aided by the resources of the Themed Entertainment Association.
“I’m excited and honored to be taking up the torch for NextGen – an initiative that played a big role in my own career, and that saw tremendous growth under Clara Rice’s great leadership,” said Arielle Rassel. “The TEA organization is warmly welcoming to new talent in its NextGen outreach. I look forward to helping the industry’s future leaders find their footing, much in the way the program helped me find mine.”
TEA offers warm congratulations to Arielle Rassel on her new volunteer chairmanship, and heartfelt thanks and appreciation to Clara Rice for her dedicated service and the many improvements and expansions she oversaw during her tenure. TEA is also grateful to the employers of its volunteers for allowing them to share their time and energy.
About TEA NextGen
The NextGen Initiative of the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA)helps students and recent graduates find their way into the themed entertainment/visitor attractions industry and facilitates TEA member companies’ ability to recruit from this fresh talent pool.
Resources and benefits available to TEA NextGen members help them find internships, mentors and jobs. Professional development opportunities include GibGab speed networking, TEA Talks webinars, other educational sessions and access to TEA conferences, mixers and behind-the-scenes events.
Saving Mr. Banksy: A Themed Attraction Designer Enters Dismaland. Will He Exit Through the Gift Shop?
ABOVE CREDIT: Wikimedia Commons. ALL OTHER PHOTOS: Martin Barratt, except where noted.
by Martin Barratt
Dismaland® closed on September 26th; should you be happy or sad that you missed it?
Maybe you haven’t heard about it.
Dismaland® was a sort of theme park produced by Banksy in Weston super Mare, UK; the seaside resort he used to go to as a kid. To quote Wikipedia, “Banksy is a pseudonymous English graffiti artist, political activist, film director, and painter. His satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine dark humour with graffiti executed in a distinctive stencilling technique.”
In a rare interview with the Guardian newspaper Banksy was quoted as saying, “In essence it’s a festival of art, amusements and entry-level anarchism. A place where you can get your counterculture easily available over the counter. A theme park for the disenfranchised, with franchises available. I guess you’d say it’s a theme park whose big theme is – theme parks should have bigger themes.” and “I asked myself: what do people like most about going to look at art? The coffee. So I made an art show that has a cafe, a cocktail bar, a restaurant and another bar. And some art.”
So Dismaland® is a theme park with art in it, or maybe an art gallery pretending to be a theme park. Banksy’s reputation was enough to stimulate more than 150,000 people to find out in just over a month. Had it been open year round, that would be enough to put it into the top twenty most visited parks in Europe.
Having decided that I had to visit I set about buying a ticket online. Not an easy task. It was certainly the worst online ticketing site I’ve ever used; some of my friends couldn’t get through it at all, but more by luck than judgement I managed to buy four tickets for 11 a.m. on a Wednesday in September. Because we didn’t arrive before 11 a.m. we joined a queue to get in and waited an hour and a half in the sun and rain. There is a theory that the experience was designed to be difficult, with one frustrated punter tweeting, “I guess the misery of queuing and a crashing website is part of the satire #Dismaland”. I’m not sure about that, but the fact that there was only one person checking bags would support it; just one more person bag-checking would have halved the queue time.
The staff were really enjoying being dismal. One of my companions was stopped and searched because he was smiling too much; we were careful after that not to be seen overly enjoying ourselves. One thing I found interesting was that when you tell staff to be rude, disinterested and monosyllabic they end up behaving very like staff you encourage to be friendly and welcoming. I walked into town later in the day and visited another attraction, where the staff were chatting amongst themselves, ignoring the customers while looking bored and disinterested. Maybe the only difference between them was that you could tell the Dismaland® staff were having a good time being sullen.
Inside there were plenty of queues too, despite the best efforts of the staff, who were quick to yell ‘move along’ at anyone who idled. It’s funny, but when we met a member of staff who was friendly and helpful we were a bit taken aback; off message is off message even when the message is dismal…
The things I didn’t enjoy (and I’m sure I wasn’t meant to) were the tents staffed by well-meaning trade union officials and save the earth campaigners. I may have only paid £5 to get in, but I resent paying to be preached at.
But everything else was dismally delightful. I especially liked the Cinema, showing some brilliant short films. It was hard to tear ourselves away, even if the seating was a lot less than comfortable. You can see the seats in this postcard of the Lido. Those were happier and sunnier times when it wasn’t derelict and unloved.
Other highlights included Cinderella’s Castle where we were invited to “Step inside and see how it feels to be a real Princess”. Poor Cinder’s coach had crashed on leaving the ball and we find her slumped out of the coach, surrounded by Paparazzi and deafened by the shrill Parisian police sirens. The photo-op was a nice touch, and we carried away our souvenir photos of the ghastly scene, posing coyly behind the paparazzi’s scooters.
I have a little knowledge of moveable rides in the UK, so I chose not to experience anything that moved, such as the big wheel or the rotating caravan, but I enjoyed the Punch & Julie, even though they had to introduce allusions to 50 Shades of Grey and Jimmy Saville. Like all good theme park designers, Banksy and his team had paid attention to the themeing; the general ambience of the place. So we had an Orca jumping through a hoop out of a toilet bowl. This was one of the only direct references to an actual theme park; I’m sure you know the ones I mean…
The genuine Belfast armour plated riot control vehicle, with its water cannon providing a spectacular fountain, was an excellent photo-opportunity, as was the Little Mermaid, artfully sliced and reassembled. There was always a crowd around the Payday Loans 4 Kids cabin: advertising advances on your pocket money today. The only way to catch a glimpse of the company’s punitive interest rate was by bouncing on a trampoline.
But every theme park has a star attraction and Dismaland®’s was The Galleries. As with several other places in the park there was no attention paid to customer safety. In the almost total darkness of the first room there were steps and trip hazards; were people injured? No-one appeared to be when I was in the room, we moved slowly once we realised we were in danger. The sitemap says that “Dismaland® boasts three large galleries which together comprise the finest collection of contemporary art ever assembled in a North Somerset seaside town.” This hardly a measure of excellence. I would say it was one of finest collections of modern art I have ever seen.
So what did it all mean? Was it about theme parks, or was it a commentary on the state of the world? In his written foreword to Dismaland®’s brochure, Banksy suggests that in the face of “global injustice”, “climate catastrophe” and “a lack of meaningful jobs”, today’s children should be taught that “maybe all that escapism will have to wait”. That’s where Dismaland® makes its comment on our industry. Is riding out your day on theme park rides the equivalent of riding to hell in a handcart? Fiddling while western civilization burns? I guess that’s where I depart from Banksy’s dystopian world view.
I don’t think that anyone who went to Dismaland® did so unless they already shared quite a few of Banksy’s standpoints and opinions, (unless they just wandered in off the prom thinking the Lido had re-opened. In which case they must have had quite a shock). But how many of the 150,000 were inspired to join a cause, raise a protest or even write to their MP? The busiest place in the park was the shop where everyone was buying T-shirts to show they had been, the equivalent of a facebook selfie. Did we all think that was enough? That we had done our bit and could now relax? Unfortunately for Banksy and his friends I would say yes.
And now the question on every attraction develops lips; is it replicable? Could we chain it, or franchise it to operators in China and the UAE? The answer is a definitive no. We all went because it was Banksy, and he is not replicable or commercialisable. Sometimes we just have to recognise when we see unique.
Martin has worked for some of the largest attraction companies, such as Merlin Entertainments Group and the Tussauds Group, as well as developing and opening The Royal Armouries in Leeds and the Wedgwood Factory Tour. He has been personally responsible for building and running numerous attractions, and since 2004 has given advice to over 100 clients and many blue chip firms.