Young artists keep HK's neon sign tradition alive

HONG KONG • Hong Kong was once world famous for its neon-light shop signs, but many old masters took their secrets to the grave.

Now, a generation of tech-savvy, globally connected young artists are trying to keep the trade alive.

Ms Karen Chan, 33, describes herself as a "neon nomad". Better known by her professional artistic name Chankalun, she had long been fascinated by the kaleidoscopic neon lights that bathed Hong Kong streets in a warm glow.

But finding someone who might teach her was far from easy.

The trade has long been dominated by masters - sifu in Cantonese - who guarded their knowledge even as neon lights gave way to cheaper, more energy-efficient LED lights and city officials began clamping down on unsafe hoardings.

"The sifu will not pass on all the knowledge, especially if there are no guidelines or manuals. They will pass on their skills only to their own descendants," said Ms Chan.

Few family members wanted to take up a skill that was becoming redundant, so many masters died without passing on their knowledge. "If you have a very valuable skill or knowledge, you should be spreading it so that it can live on," Ms Chan said. "Overprotection can be a cause for a lot of crafts to die."

Undeterred, she turned to the Internet and travelled to places such as Amsterdam and New York to learn from foreign artists, discovering a global community of neon fans and professionals willing to trade tips. "There is an open sourcing culture appearing in the new generation of artists," she said.

Ms Chan, the only Hong Kong woman currently working within a traditionally male-dominated trade, operates out of a studio run by Mr Jive Lau, a 38-year-old artist who also represents the new breed of younger neon light benders.

Together, they work glass to near melting point, bending and blowing the tubes into remarkable shapes over blue flame burners that can reach 1,000 deg C.

Mr Lau was introduced to neon bending in Taiwan where, he said, masters were more willing to share their knowledge with strangers.

But he, too, has found the Internet a huge help. "I keep learning from online resources and from watching videos," he said.

Today, he offers workshops to a growing number of neon light enthusiasts.

Ms Chan's current project is called The Neon Girl and involves her working with half a dozen neon light masters around the world to create six distinctive pieces. They are a far cry from the huge flashing signs that used to protrude from the sides of Hong Kong buildings, advertising everything from restaurants to mahjong parlours. Instead, they have a modern but still local vibe.

"For neon to live... it needs some other elements to be injected into it, and this is what I'm doing as part of a new generation of neon artists," Ms Chan said.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE