(Hong Kong) The neon lights, which go out one by one in the streets of Hong Kong, once famous for their messy illuminated signs, reappear in the workshops of a new generation of artists connected to the world, to technologies and to their past, but the elders are reluctant to pass on their know-how.
Above a blue flame that can reach 1000 ° C, a glass tube approaches its melting point, before Karen Chan twists and blows into it to give it the desired shape.
The young woman, known by her artist name Chankalun, has long been fascinated by the neon lights that bathed the streets in warm lights.
The current project of Mme Chan, the only woman in Hong Kong working in a male-dominated industry, calls herself “The Neon Girl” and brings her to work with half a dozen neon masters around the world to create six distinct pieces.
We are far from the gigantic signs that overhang the sidewalks of the city, announcing all kinds of businesses, from restaurants to mahjong halls, before being abandoned to comply with stricter regulations or to make way for light bulbs. Less expensive and more efficient LEDs.
The 30-something infuses her works with a modern spirit, but always local.
Learning this art was for her an obstacle course, so much the masters, “si fu” in Cantonese, jealously guard their manufacturing secrets.
Knowledge sharing
“Because I love this medium, I tried it for myself and begged the neon masters in Hong Kong, but they refused to teach me,” she recalls.
“The” si fu “will not pass on all the knowledge, especially since there is no guide or manual, they will only pass their skills on to their own descendants”, laments Mr.me Chan during an interview.
However, few descendants want to perpetuate a skill that has become obsolete, and many masters take their professional secrets to the grave.
“If you have very valuable skills or knowledge, you must spread them around you so that they can live too”, regrets the 33-year-old artist. “Overprotection can cause the death of many crafts.”
Without losing her resolve, Karen Chan surfed the internet and traveled to Amsterdam and New York to learn from other artists.
The one who now calls herself a “neon nomad” has discovered a world community of neon fans and professionals, ready to share their tips.
“There is a culture ofopen source in the new generation of artists, ”she rejoices.
“Everyone posts their experiences and new discoveries on Instagram or Facebook and everyone is happy to share […] this type of knowledge ”.
“The old generations see it as a secret craft.”
Today she works in the workshop of another enthusiast, Jive Lau, 38 years old.
Obstinacy
He penetrated the art of neon in Taiwan where, he says, masters are more willing to share their know-how with foreigners.
“I continue to learn with resources on the internet and by watching videos,” he explains, however.
Today, he offers workshops for a growing number of neon enthusiasts.
“Education can really help […] to promote the culture of neon, to keep it alive, ”he explains.
Together, the two artists outline the projects and shape the neon tubes.
“For neon to live… you have to inject other elements into it, and that’s what I do, like the new generation of artists,” explains Karen Chan.
She hopes her works “will break down boundaries or people’s views” of her art “and show that its use can be broadened to take on a new form.”
For the young woman, bending the neon glass can be compared to an Olympic sport that requires strength, precision and flexibility.
His stubbornness in finding a mentor paid off. After so many closed doors, she finally found a “si fu”, Master Wong, to take her under his wing.
In 2018, she created a piece in a week, after bringing in a glass sculptor who watched the neon creation process on YouTube to explain the technique to her.
She then returned to Master Wong, 80, who, impressed, agreed to welcome her as an apprentice.
“I think the neon masters in Hong Kong will never accept me as a true neon master,” she says today, “but maybe as a neon artist, which is fine with me.”