Dome’s place in The Sun

Word on the street is that the Dome contents are designed to appeal to “Sun readers”. Is that why the showstoppers we’ve had sight of so far smack of a patronising sub-Disney culture? The only hint of contemporary “Britishness” are the “boys toys” Millennium Products, and they tell only a small part of the story.

Are the Dome’s organisers turning their backs on essential British culture – contemporary art and crafts, street style and fashion, for example? Or are these in the mix, to be presented in a “dumbed down” theme-park style? How much better to integrate these elements now to help convey the Dome’s message rather than as static exhibits.

Those in charge of London venues such as the Earth Galleries and neighbouring Science Museum, with its new Wellcome Wing, are having the guts to do this, though visitors are as likely to read The Sun as the Financial Times. So why is so little vision evident in the Dome – the centrepiece of a great concept to celebrate the Millennium and leave a legacy for Britain?