David Hockney and Damien Hirst are currently in discussions about the project, which is costing �750m.

The New Millennium Experience (NME) - the Government-owned company responsible for the project - confirmed further details about the contents of the Dome in the Sunday Telegraph newspaper.

Damien Hirst with a recent exhibit

There will be exhibits, some using virtual reality, devoted to subjects like the environment and the future. Others exhibits will address questions about whether people will still live in houses and what will happen to printed books.

One exhibit will apparently feature a 30ft steel ball drawn to earth by a giant magnet.

The article is based on a July interview with Stephen Bayley, the exhibition's creative director.

The plans have changed since then and an NME spokesman, Gez Sagar, was able to reveal further details on Sunday.

"Things have moved on since Mr Bayley gave this interview," he said. "There will be Union Jacks in the Dome and there will be exhibits about British history."

Hockney: discussing proposals for the exhibition centre

Christianity would also be an important part of the exhibition zone on the spirit, he said.

But in radio interviews on Sunday, Mr Bayley was not giving much away.