A stunning virtual 360° experience showcasing Dundee’s history as one of the UK’s busiest ports will open on Thursday.
The Courier was invited along for a first look at the immersive Dundee Dome Experience at Discovery Point.
Here we explain what visitors can expect from the refreshed attraction, which first opened in 1993.
What is the new Discovery attraction?
It promises to take visitors on a virtual journey through Dundee’s industrial past.
It is accessed via a lift to a new suspended floor and on entry, a striking replica of the Earth spins above.
The three dimensional globe will be recognisable to many from coverage of Cop26.
Named Gaia, it was created using detailed NASA imagery of the Earth’s surface.
Visitors will get a sense of the fragility of the planet, as astronauts did in 1972, the first time human eyes saw it in its entirety.
The icy vastness of Antarctica illustrates the harsh environment the crew of the RRS Discovery, now docked just a stone’s throw away, experienced on their journey.
Dome is star of the show
The star of the show though is the dome experience itself.
Blinds cover all the windows with the experience beginning with a virtual night sky projected alongside a specially made musical composition.
Voice recordings from some of the first astronauts in space also play.
Children meanwhile warn of the impact of climate change with one stating: “We don’t have the time to sit on our hands as the planet burns.”
The experience transitions to Dundee’s role as an industrial heavyweight in 1901 and the contributions its industries made to the present day instability of the planet.
Virtual screens zoom in on Dundee from space and narrating the experience is Perthshire actor Alan Cumming who explains what it was like to live in a “crowded and polluted but dynamic” Dundee.
Famous landmarks are visible including the imposing Royal Arch, built in 1853 but subsequently demolished in 1964.
“Commerce drives everything”, Cumming says as he explains the city was a “boomtown” in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries.
Other sites pinpointed include Dundee Law, St Paul’s Cathedral and Custom House.
RRS Discovery sails across the Tay as does one of the Tay Ferries — affectionately known as The Fifies — which shuttled passengers between Dundee and Fife before the Tay Road Bridge was built.
‘True Victorian transport hub’
The virtual tour takes us into the streets where we see trams and numerous chimney stacks spitting out smoke from jute factories as well as families in the many tenements.
The packed Dock Street is described as a “true Victorian transport hub”.
Whaling and herring ships as well as cargo ships and railways sit on reclaimed land at the city’s harbours.
As the blinds come up, the Dundee waterfront of today replaces the CGI panorama, including the RRS Discovery, V&A Dundee, and the River Tay.
What is arguably most exciting about the new attraction is the potential to have a different experience on each visit depending on the part of the panorama viewed or the time of day and weather when it ends.
For an hour or so in the winter, Dundee waterfront will also be seen at night with the RRS Discovery and V&A Dundee lit up.
How much does it cost?
Entry to Discovery Point is £12 but tickets for the Dundee Dome Experience will cost an extra £5 as part of the “adventure ticket package”.
The ticket is an annual pass permitting entry for a whole year.
There will be 12 sessions per day from 10.15am to 5.15pm.
It will be open to walk-ins only initially but online booking will be available from Monday.
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