A Different Kind of Light - Neon Signage in Hong Kong
Neon signage is an integral part of the visual identity of Hong Kong, the bright glow of vibrant colours reflect the very character of the city, however neon signage is gradually disappearing, being slowly replaced by LED sings in the name of safety and convenience.
Many would argue that this sacrifice of an iconic and rich visual language is huge step in the wrong direction. From a strong nostalgia for these signs, and the human desire for the handmade, to the modern revival of neon signage, it’s evident that neon should not be going anywhere.
We can see the reluctance to get rid of these signs quite clearly in the concerted efforts of groups such as Hong Kong Neon, who have extensively catalogued and researched neon signage, due to strong feelings of nostalgia for these signs and their importance in maintaining Hong Kong’s unique visual identity. Paraphrasing a lecture from this group (Kwok and Coppoosle, 2019), Anneke Coppoolse talked about how she felt nostalgic for Hong Kong’s neon even though she isn’t a local, but through watching defining Hong Kong film such as “Chungking Express” (Kar-wai, 1994), she felt like she already knew the signs when she first arrived in Hong Kong, as they possess such a unique visual presence.
In the same lecture, Brian Kwok, who has published the book “Fading of Hong Kong neon lights — The archive of Hong Kong visual culture” (Kowk, 2018), said that he felt so passionate to preserve the lights because of how he felt strongly connected to them being raised in Hong Kong, he expressed that he thought most locals share this same connection. It’s not surprising that locals would want to preserve something so defining of the landscape they grew up in.
The preservation and preference for the handmade over the mass produced is by no means a new idea. The arts and craft movement of 1920’s, which has seen a revival in modern years, proposes that “the modernity of the Arts and Crafts Movement partly inheres in its very self-constitution as such: as a movement which sought to reclaim craft as a traditional source of aesthetic and social vitality in a modern world perceived to be hell-bent on instituting the domination of industry and commerce” (T. Crook, 2009). This modern conflict is clearly represented in the takeover of LED signage in Hong Kong today. Many residents, such as Brian Kwok, share the sentiment that in comparison to neon signs, the LED signs are highly devoid of any sort of aesthetic integrity.
A full replacement of neon with LED would reduce Hong Kong’s visual landscape to a impersonal and repetitive reflection of toxic digital and consumer culture that plagues much of the world today. The LED signage is also reminiscent of the screens that many of us spend much of our time on today. Alternatively, the gentle, yet vibrant glow of neon signage embodies the care, skill and personal touch that goes into crafting each sign. A unique and rich aesthetic is consequently produced that breathes life into any environment in which it sits.
The desire for revival of a neon culture is also observable in the resurgence of the use of neon signage in many modern restaurants, bars and stores in recently gentrified suburbs of Hong Kong. Sheung Wan, once a cheap and cheerful market district has recently been revived as a trendy and expensive destination, popular for food, nightlife and tourism. A quick stroll around the area at night reveals that new neon signage is rampant.
The style of these signs is highly different to the traditional neon signage in the rest of Hong Kong, with mostly smaller, minimal signs depicting logos, or quotes in english, in comparison to the huge, ornate and multicoloured signs Hong Kong is used to, usually in chinese or both chinese and english. Although this new style of signage is not the same as what Hong Kong became famous for, the nostalgia for the neon aesthetic and material is clearly present.
An article on neon’s resurgence by Claire Shaffer in Newsweek’s Culture section says “neon’s vintage quality doesn’t tell the full story of its rebirth. There’s a certain element of artistic finesse — or, at least, the attempt at such — that the gaseous lightning has never had before in such ubiquity.” (Shaffer, 2017). The playful craftsmanship and artistic quality of neon signage is without doubt one of the the driving forces as to why we are clinging onto this material. This unique, almost magical quality just isn’t seen in the mass produced LED signage that is taking over.
Neon signage is a defining material in the rich visual culture and landscape of Hong Kong, to not make and effort to save these signs, is to greatly diminish the quality of Hong Kong’s unique and incredible cultural and visual identity. Hong Kong is at risk of transforming into an industry dominated city driven by only efficiency and convenience, at the great cost of a vibrant aesthetic and cultural integrity, something which needs to be fiercely defended.
Jock Price is a student at the University of Technology Sydney studying a Bachelor of Design in Visual Communication. This visual essay was written in response to a task that asked to explore one area of Hong Kong’s rich material culture.
Flickr album: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmv5HNJ5
References:
Chungking Express. (1994). [film] Directed by W. Kar-wai. Hong Kong.
Crook, T. (2009). Craft and the Dialogics of Modernity: The Arts and Crafts Movement in Late-Victorian and Edwardian England. The Journal of Modern Craft, [online] 2(1), pp.17–32. Available at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.2752/174967809X416242 [Accessed 2 Feb. 2019].
Kwok, B. (2018). Fading of Hong Kong neon lights — The archive of Hong Kong visual culture. 1st ed. Hong Kong: Joint Publishing (HK) Ltd.
Kwok, B. and Coppoosle, A. (2019). HK Neon.
Shaffer, C. (2017). It’s official: Neon is cool again, from music to art and beyond. [online] Newsweek. Available at: https://www.newsweek.com/neon-instagram-trend-1980s-music-videos-654249 [Accessed 2 Feb. 2019].
