An essential aspect of preserving crafts is ensuring their smooth adaptation to evolving needs and practices. Yet, the installation of neon tubes on signboards or interior decorations remains a labour-intensive process requiring qualified technicians. As rental prices spike, causing shops to relocate more frequently, neon signboards are no longer stationary at a place for an extensive period as they used to be. The fragility of neon tubes also limits the mobility of signboards during the relocation of shops, creating stagnancy in their adaptation as well as application overseas.
This installation experiments with modularised neon in an exhibition setting to minimise on-site installation and removal time, facilitate shipping between venues (or countries), and explore plug-in connectors that help to transform neon into lighting fixtures for laypeople to install (their neon signboards) within minutes. By experimenting with streamlined installation processes and technical improvements, we hope to preserve the longevity of neon light craft into another century.
Named after ‘signboard-streetscape’, the unique, vibrant cityscape created by layers of signboards that lined the streets of Hong Kong, @streetsignhk was founded in Oct 2017 by architects Kevin Mak and Ken Fung. @streetsignhk promotes signboard-streetscape as an urban cultural heritage by delving deep into the stories of Hong Kong’s signboards and building regulations, conserving existing signboards that face demolition, and promoting a sustainable signboard culture through design practice.
Refusing to be witnesses who document the disappearance of signboards due to changes in building regulations and the retail environment, we use our professional background and knowledge to advise and educate shop owners, advocate change in conservation policy, and investigate aesthetic and cultural values of signboards. We believe in preserving Hong Kong’s unique signboard streetscape by creating a sustainable environment that balances safety concerns.
