Gregory E. Nangle (born 30 November 1973, Narberth Pa.) is an American artist (living on Deer Isle, Maine), musician, glassblower, sculptor, bronzecaster, luthier and furniture designer. He is best known for his creations using cast bronze and cast glass together, and his work as an experimental avant garde musician.
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Early life
Nangle was born November 30, 1973 in Wynnewood Pennsylvania at 5 o'clock pm on a Friday. The youngest son of Edward and Phyllis (D'Ambrosio) Nangle and brother of Sean Timothy Nangle. After attending a normal parochial school for three years Nangle was politely asked to leave by the administration due to his constant daydreaming, and troubles relating to other students. Nangle became fascinated with classical drawing techniques, space travel (and by proxy quantum mechanics) and the study of classical physics due to his apprenticeship with his great Uncle E.Rennali who was a draftsman/engineer contracted by NASA to produce technical illustrations for their new Space Shuttle program. Nangle first began playing musical instruments and composing at age 6 and continued enthusiastically for the rest of his life.
Nangle attended The Crefeld School.
Nangle went on to attend The Hartford Art School on scholarship, where he majored in the Experimental Studio Program headed by Chritopher Horton and Peter Maclean. While attending The Hartford Art School Nangle was exposed to working artists such as : Christo, Sir Anthony Caro, and Cornelia Parker. Also, while attending Nangle was an assistant to Mark Ferguson (1959–2008). His relationship to Mark Ferguson and his training under him was one of the biggest influences on his career, together Ferguson and Nangle traveled the world teaching Glasscasting Workshops, developing glass casting techniques and researching new methods and materials at Ferguson's Greenpoint Studio in Brooklyn New York and at The New York Experimental Glass Workshop. Ferguson was an avid and thorough craftsman of the highest order and he impressed upon Nangle the importance of thorough and professional execution of his art work. Nangle then went on to attend Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the first art school in the country.
Early music career
During this time Nangle also was working in his band Technician which was a three piece minimalist experimental rock band formed by Nangle and fronted by Ian Pitcher, in the fall of 1990. The last official Technician release "opposition" was recorded in 2001 with Steve Albini and Greg Norman at Electrical Audio in Chicago,featuring Ramona Pratt, Technician's human drummer. Nangle was a part of the late Punk scene in Philadelphia and helped to organize many counter culture shows and events. Nangle and Pitcher continued to independently produce records together for themselves and for other musicians for almost twenty years. Nangle worked with Tranquillity Base Records and Relapse Records producing independent, art damaged, punk music, as well as experimental music he will never release, with his other projects as follows: "Supergrace"(1989–2007) "MC(2)squared" (2002) "Resistor"(2006) "SirValence"(1999–2009) "Jupiter"(2009-current)feat. F.A 'the indifferent hungarian' Goodman. "AhmaZ'ing Disgrace"(2000–2014). Nangles musical work is difficult to classify as it incorporates a wide variety of techniques and influences ranging drastically in style and approach. His influences include: Vangelis, The Residents (who falsely claim to be his artistic representation),Wendy Carlos, The Butthole Surfers, Steve Reich, Anton Vivaldi, Gyrgy Ligeti, Jonathan Kane, John Zorn, Steve Albini, and Flying Saucer Attack.
Early career
Nangle went on to work for the artist Steve Tobin producing his artworks in bronze, clay, glass and ceramics. Working with Tobin allowed Nangle to perfect techniques for casting bronze and new approaches to innovating the ceramic shell casting process. It was Tobin's vast exploration of the intersection of science and art that Nangle worked well with. At Tobin Studio Nangle oversaw the foundry and headed up projects for the artist including the famous "Trinity Roots"[1] placed at ground zero where they were memorialized in bronze after the September 11th attacks of 2001.
Later career
After leaving Tobin Studios Nangle went on to start one of his first endeavors, "Outcaststudios". OutcastStudios is a glassworks and glassblowing, Non-Ferrous Foundry where Nangle has produced one of a kind artworks in bronze, glass and various other materials for both himself and other artists, architects and designers. In 2006 Nangle was awarded a Fellowship at Wheaton arts and Cultural Center. Nangle made one of the largest blown glass soda bottles along with glass artist Deborah Czeresko. Nangle produced a line of sculptures for the artist H.R. Giger (until his death) with whom he worked closely with at his studio outside of Zurich, Switzerland. Outcaststudios is Located in a 120 year old Foundry in the Kensington section of Philadelphia, the foundry has been in use for over 100 years producing general castings in bronze and brass. In 2011 WHYY in Philadlephia interviewed Nangle at the foundry about his work. In 2012 Nangle launched his second company, a joint venture, that produces a line of architectural glass castings, located in New York City. In 2013 Nangle started his third venture "Deadman Guitar" which specializes in producing cast aluminium neck through body guitars, a variation on a design immortalized by the late Clifford Travis Bean. Nangle's Bass Guitar design instead uses a solid casting providing a neck-through body design that is paired with all hand made components including, Purple Heart Wood fretboards, stainless steel frets and custom tuning machines. The transducers are hand made by Lindy Fralin. Nangle's design allows the end user to "customize" the shape of the instruments body due to its modular construction. The body cavity of the instrument is naturally shielded, as it is also cast in aluminum, whose structure also blocks electromagnetic interference. The guitars are hand finished by the artist in his 1856 Masonic Lodge where he lives. Nangle's artwork deals with themes of: Not drawing a distinction between fine art and craft, contrasting materials,science and mathematics.
Collections and publications
Wheaton Museum of American Glass
The Lowe Art Museum
David Bowie
Ebeltoft Glas Museum
The Deniro Group
"International Glass Art"
Schiffer Books 2010
Gregory Nangle Discography at LIbrarius Metallicus