Coloured pipes with Hole

A typical title for abstract art...

On my way to the Health Centre again (to enlighten some medical students about something), I passed the entrance to the Observatory Quarter that I have mentioned recently. Just near the entrance, I was entranced ( apologies!) by this hole with its coloured pipes laid out. I think that they are conduits for cables, fibre network connections and so on.

I was particularly interested to see this bit of work going on. It looks though the person active in the hole is screening a connecting tibe with braiding made out of bare copper wire (about 20 swg my eye says). Over the assembly goes some rather large heat shrink, which is being collapsed to shape with a blowlamp (I use a high-power electric hair dryer at home (or just a cigarette lighter to be honest)). This is on a much larger, and, dare I say it, more entertaining scale! I suppose in the old days, one would have just poured molten bitumen over the join to (hope to) insulate it.

The medical students were smart, enthusiastic, and on-the-ball. But this distraction was even better for my taste!