(Image: Discovery Museum, North East Museums)
Today's Object of the Week is a small, unassuming object that changed the way we live, work, and see the world after dark.
Today's object is a replica of Joseph Swan's Practical Electrical Incandescent Lamp, dating from 1878–79, which stands as a testament to the ingenuity of a man many overlook in favour of his American contemporary, Thomas Edison.
In truth, Swan – a physicist, chemist, and inventor born in Sunderland within the historic County of Durham – was developing electric lighting concurrently with Edison in the 1870s.
The lamp's creation was made possible by advances in filament design, vacuum technique, and glass-blowing, and the original in the Science Museum's Collection is the earliest known surviving example of Swan's work, predating his British Patent 4933 of November 27, 1880, by a year.
From this breakthrough came rapid refinement of lamps and ultimately the prevalence of electric lighting we take for granted today.
North-East inventor Joseph Swan
(Image: NEWSQUEST)
By 1881, the Swan United Electric Light Company was established, supplying the first incandescent lights to illuminate homes and public buildings.
The Literary & Philosophical Society of Newcastle upon Tyne in Westgate Road became the first public room lit by electric light, while Mosley Street, Newcastle, earned the distinction of being the first street in the world illuminated by electric incandescent light bulbs.
Soon afterwards, Swan entered into business with Edison, forming the Edison and Swan Electric Light Company in 1883.
The centrepiece of a new exhibition
The replica lamp now takes pride of place as the starting point for Victory Over the Sun: Encounters with Light, the inaugural exhibition at The Light, Durham City's new cultural attraction opening on Saturday, August 22.
Durham City’s latest cultural attraction. The Light
(Image: DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL)
Formerly the Durham Light Infantry (DLI) Museum and Art Gallery, The Light has undergone significant transformation by award-winning architects NORR following investment by Durham County Council.
The exhibition explores how artists have employed light as a material from the 1960s to the present day, featuring renowned names including Olafur Eliasson, Tracey Emin, David Shrigley, Steve McQueen, Cerith Wyn Evans, Liz West, and Chila Burman.
Visitors entering the gallery will encounter Ceal Floyer's Light Switch, a slide projection inviting contemplation of the real and imagined, before experiencing works such as Katie Paterson's poetic Light bulb to Simulate Moonlight and Liz West's immersive Our Spectral Vision, which fills the space with saturated colour using LED-lit dichroic glass prisms.
Hanging Monkey 2022/2026 - one of the artorks at the new exhibition
(Image: Chila Burman)
The show is organised around five core themes – Artworks Using Light Sources, Perception, Text, Drawing on Light, and Science and Technology – examining how newly developed technologies from fluorescent tubes and neons to LEDs and digital media have been explored in different and complex ways.
A hub for innovation
The Light brings together contemporary art and creativity with local history, scientific discovery, and technological innovation, exploring the most important ideas of our time through an ambitious programme of exhibitions, events, and immersive experiences.
The venue's links to military history are retained through a dedicated DLI Gallery telling the story of the historic regiment through objects, documents, and film footage from the DLI Collection, featuring images, sound, hands-on interactive displays, and rich sensory experiences.
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Situated at the heart of Aykley Heads, a short walk from Durham railway station, The Light will serve as an anchor institution of Durham's Innovation District and a sister venue to The Story, which provides the permanent home to the DLI Collection.
Victory Over the Sun runs until Sunday, January 17, 2027.
Tickets are available to book online at www.thelightdurham.org.uk, priced at £10 for adults and £2.50 for children under 18 for a two-hour timed entry slot, with an exhibition season pass available at £25.