At Las Vegas’s Sphere I saw the future of live arts

00:00 07:35

Robert Jackman has narrated this article for you to listen to.

Does Elon Musk have a good eye for the aesthetic? Earlier this month, the Tesla magnate took a break from his incessant political posting to praise something he described as a ‘work of art’ – the Las Vegas Sphere. He then treated his 200 million Twitter followers to a video of an awed crowd, desperately angling their phones to capture the supposed majesty of the Sphere.

Admittedly, it was hardly the first time that the Sphere has gone viral on social media. Since its grand opening last autumn, this very modern monument has had a knack for conquering the internet, with videos of its optical illusions prompting both awe and disgust. Its occasional surreal turns (like when it turned into a giant cartoon emoji, side-eyeing the Las Vegas skyline) have made headlines in their own right.

How impressive is the Sphere in reality? On a balmy September night in Las Vegas, I get my first unfiltered experience of the giant structure in person. As I stand and stare from a car park some half a mile away, its 350ft dome is pulsing with hypnotic patterns as it advertises an upcoming event due to take place within its gigantic spherical casing.

Even from this distance, it’s not hard to see why the Sphere has mesmerised so many. With its entire external structure clad in a seamless quilt of curved LED screens, it resembles less a video installation and more a planet-shaped portal, thrusting its images to the forefront of your consciousness.

Almost instinctively, I find myself reaching for my phone, holding up its much smaller screen in a ritual display of inferiority. As I angle for the perfect shot, I recall an article about how the Sphere’s unveiling had coincided with an increase in traffic accidents, the result of drivers distracted by its Siren-like glare.