A lot of people have wondered what the Millennium Dome is all about. While I don't have the answers, there are a few interesting pointers I've come across.

 

In 1919, the American artist John Marin created Sunset, Maine Coast - a picture in watercolour and charcoal that you'll see reproduced below. Eighty years later, on 10 May 1999, London's Evening Standard newspaper included a feature with the headline 'The Dome of many colours,' with three colour pictures of the Millennium Dome - one of these is the second shown below.

The article by Stewart Payne stated that: "Throughout next year the Dome will project a 'lightscape' that changes in colour, shape, size and intensity by the minute." Illuminating the Dome's one-million-sq-ft roof was the idea of Patrick Woodroffe, who has previously designed lighting effects for top rock and pop bands. Mr.Woodroffe is quoted saying that the Dome can now "..be a dancing jukebox, a magical dark blue temple or a flashing white spaceship.." among other things.

Patrick Woodroffe had already been employed "..to create the lighting for the Dome's daily central show staged by Mark Fisher with music by Peter Gabriel."

 

 

In 1991, I received a letter from a guy called Keith Tooke (dated 26th January), who wrote among other things that he'd seen Genesis open for Marc Bolan at Brighton Dome "..21 years ago.. They were good then (as now). I met them & got their autographs. In the dust on their van was written GNOME-DOME-HOME..."

It may seem trivial that Genesis, at the time fronted by Peter Gabriel, should have had this message on their van, but Keith's mind obviously didn't register it as insignificant, as he remembered it 21 years later.

 

A few years after getting this letter, I switched on the TV one evening to see that there was a Peter Gabriel concert being broadcast. On stage with him there was a large dome, and at the end of the show, he disappeared into it.

This seemed not insignificant either...

Domes