Truly, a picture can paint a thousand words. The image is of a beaming orb displayed as a giant eye that shines out across the urban landscape. It never sleeps, and neither will you if you are near enough to its glare. A dystopian, nightmarish sight, it is quite literally an eyesore. I am talking, of course, of the recently opened Sphere in Las Vegas, its LED screens displaying 360 degrees of video and adverts for up to 24 hours a day. The developer, MSG Entertainment, had hopes of building another one in Stratford, east London, which was proposed to be as tall as Big Ben.
That was until its dreams were dashed this week by the mayor, Sadiq Khan, following a committed campaign by residents and councillors. Khan argued that the Stratford Sphere would cause too much disruption to local people and wildlife, particularly in terms of light pollution. MSG Entertainment, which is run by Trump donor James Dolan, did little to alleviate residents’ concerns, at one point even insultingly offering blackout blinds when they expressed fears about not being able to sleep.
