“The idea with this project was to create a lamp that also functioned as a visual representation of a blackhole in a 2D universe.
As predicted by Einstein’s theory of general relativity, objects of mass distort the fabric of spacetime. Blackholes are points of such immense density that spacetime is distorted so much that neither light nor matter can escape.
To recreate this effect I have used a piece of black lycra to represent the fabric of spacetime, around the edge the event horizon is displayed by a ring of white LEDs; any closer to the blackhole and light would be unable to escape. The longer you leave the lamp on, the bigger the blackhole grows since it is consuming more matter and energy. To achieve this a braided fishing line runs down the copper pipe to a motor hidden in the base. The intensity of the lamp can be adjusted by changing the potentiometer at the base, in doing so the rate at which the blackhole grows also changes; if there is more light (and matter) the blackhole will grow at a faster rate, and visa-versa. The lamp can be turned off at the base by the switch. Doing this results in the motor turning the other way, allowing the fabric to relax, this in turn represents the evaporation of the blackhole via Hawking radiation.
Of course this is just an artistic representation of a blackhole and the physics conveyed in this sculpture is not to be taken literally.”