Don’t touch the light.

About Don’t Touch the Light

What happens

• The shade hangs from a cord like a double pendulum: the cord swings from its hook and the shade swings on its own pivot, solved about 120 times a second.
• A stone from the kavan (Tamil for slingshot) flies under gravity. Where it hits the shade decides how the shade spins.
• A hard knock shakes the filament so the bulb flickers. Hit the bulb itself and it breaks, and someone has to fit a new one.

The Chennai bit

• Every tea kadai (tea stall) has one bare bulb under a green enamel shade. Someone always touches it.

Inspired by Tea Kadai in Perambur, Chennai, India.