Talk: @streetsignhk on the Urban Stories Hong Kong’s Neon Lights

Description

Hong Kong’s neon signs were once more than eye-catching advertisements: they shaped the skyline, illuminated streets and became central to the city’s visual identity. With fewer than 500 remaining, their disappearance raises urgent questions about memory, place and preservation. On 16 August, Blue Lotus Gallery welcomes conservation platform @streetsignhk founders and architects Kevin Mak and Ken Fung (who both contributed to Zolima CityMag’s Neon Is Not Dead book) for an engaging talk about a selection of signs: how they were made, why they were commissioned, and the businesses and communities behind them and recent conservation efforts to preserve this part of Hong Kong’s visual culture.

The talk accompanies Keith Macgregor’s City of Lights. Featuring hundreds of previously unseen images, the project documents both the visual spectacle and the intricate craftsmanship behind these disappearing works — from master glass benders to daring installers. Yet, the exhibition looks forward as much as it looks back, highlighting how artists and conservationists are reshaping neon’s legacy for a new generation.

A photographer with an expansive archive of Hong Kong neon signage from the 1990s and 2000s, Macgregor captured a city once defined by its luminous streets, including many signs that have since vanished. Luckily, his works still tells a lively story that all visitors can still learn from. Founded in 2017, @streetsignhk rescues, exhibits and reimagines neon signs as urban heritage. Most recently, their works including the preserved Sun Fung Kee neon sign appeared in Airside GATE33 Gallery’s The Cha Chaan Teng CODEX: Tales of Invisible Designs.

On 16 August, the talk will be held from 15:00 to 17:00. No RSVP required.