The Idea of the Electric Lightbulb Sinks In

Nangle’s marriage of glass and metal comes from a fascination with liquidising, pouring, and re-solidifying the material — reformatting appearance and objectivity to his whim. ‘The Idea of the Electric Lightbulb Sinks In’ appropriates the form of the lightbulb as a familiar but disruptive vessel, the realism and trompe l’ceil mimicry of each bulb in the stack set against the strange and uncertain material placed inside, and precarious overall amassed structure. Nangle seeks to question objects for which we take for granted — his series of works in this realm inserting bubble wrap, packing material or even glowing elemental gases into glass as an ongoing investigation of hidden and unacknowledged spaces.