Neons around the world

A vestige of the past

新香港似乎不珍重霓虹燈。難道只是為了省電、為了公眾逛街不要「中頭獎」嗎？在歷史/遺產/文化/文物能夠被武器化的年代，大家心知肚明。無可否認，發展與保育往往都有之間的張力，但我們接近平衡嗎？鳳凰的確能夠烈火重生，但有什麼保證我們不會換來焦土？前路茫茫，少了頭上的燈牌，又怎麼辦呢？

Apparently our ‘new Hong Kong’ has no place for the past scent of colonialism nor the faint glow of noble gases. What is being torn down isn’t just neon signs, but also gems that effervesce energy, flair and the enigmatic nature of our city. Putting the tempting symbolism aside, it seems that regular sign removal exposes the old and shabby tenement buildings that has been previously shielded by glamorous displays. In other words, the mirage is gone.

In some places neons are there to entice you to consume

In others they are remnants of a political past

The Neon Muzeum of Warsaw, Poland 🇵🇱 is one of the largest collection of cold war era neon signs in the world. Although neon signs were synonymous with capitalism/ consumerism at the time (especially in New York, London), neon manufacturers managed to prescribe a new meaning to it under communist rule so that permission could be granted for its display.

The museum uses the story of neon signs as a unique angle to explore communist rule in Warsaw. What shops could place neon signs? Would the signs stay on when there was an electricity shortage? What would happen if a broken sign displayed an ‘illegal’ message of protest?

In Hong Kong we like to think of our neons as our golden age and we want them under preservation. However in Warsaw, in a documentary displayed in the museum, some interviewees said that they thought the signs were a visual representation of the communist era and want it removed.

For me it was interesting to see how the meaning of symbols can morph under different circumstances and histories- then and now. 🤔