Neon artist Chankalun (Karen Chan) on Light as Air, her collaboration with La Prairie
There it Glows. La Prairie and Chankalun’s collaboration is an embodiment of heritage preservation with sustainable sensibilities.
As Art Basel returns to Hong Kong, La Prairie collaborates with Hong Kong’s sole woman neon artist Chankalun (Karen Chan) to present Light as Air. Drawing inspirations from the otherworldly natural landscape of Montreux, La Prairie’s homeland, Light as Air comes through as an interactive neon instalment to remember the cultural artefact that once represented Hong Kong.
Interview courtesy of La Prairie
Can you please tell us about yourself as an artist?
I'm Chankalun (Karen Chan), a Hong Kong female and experimental neon artist in a male-dominant neon industry. I explore glass, gas and electricity as my medium to portray a new vision and future of Hong Kong neon. I enjoy repurposing and redefining mediums and concepts in my artistic practice.
Why is neon, Hong Kong's iconic visual language, now disappearing?
The disappearance of neon in Hong Kong started from a major accident back in 1972 — when there was a third-degree fire at a hotel in Wan Chai. The fire department claimed the neon signages outside the hotel delayed the rescue, which in turn resulted in 9 deaths and 21 casualties. Since then, the Buildings Department have put in place stricter regulations on the installation of neon signage.
Over the years, the rise of LED in terms of budget and accessibility has also been a big competitor to traditional neon. On top of that, there are challenges with the accessibility to the craft which is also a major issue on why the precious skills and knowledge are not being transferred, resulting in challenges for one to create a neon sign.
Unfortunately, due to strict regulations and various complications in installing new stretched-out neon signs, budget, change of marketing as well as misinformation being widely shared, most of the shops tend not to reinstall a neon sign after the old one has been taken down. Today, we can see mostly only outdoor stretched-out neon signages in old buildings and less so in new buildings.
Tell us about your work for La Prairie, Light as Air.
The collaboration began with La Prairie's wish to commission a meaningful art installation inspired by the nature of Switzerland with strong local relevance to the city and its local heritage and craftsmanship. This was tied to their mission to support young women artists by giving them a strong artistic platform to express their creative vision.
Made of neon tubes, Light as Air brings a new light to the city: the light from Switzerland. It is an odyssey of air travelling from Montreux — the birthplace of La Prairie — to Hong Kong, as a breeze of pure and “light(ed)” air floating in the air of Tai Kwun Parade Ground. Air is vital to our survival, and even in neon-making, we need air to start the burners. The inspiration for the name of the artwork came from the pun on the word "light", as it can be interpreted as weight or as a light source. The total weight of the neon is also the total weight of air at Montreux.
Light as Air is an interactive neon installation which I believe to be the first interactive glass neon installation in Hong Kong. The installation "breathes" with a special animated lighting effect that is drawn from a real-time air quality index. This work will mark the first and biggest sculptural outdoor neon art installation in Hong Kong.
This art installation and collaboration with La Prairie brings a breath of new air on how neon is commonly perceived as a medium as well. Its major medium, neon glass, is malleable and fluid when molten, similar to the flow and "shape" of air. Neon is commonly perceived as a medium to translate literal meaning, with words or graphics mostly laid flat on a supportive enclosure or backboard. With Light as Air, I am pushing forward the unusual potential of neon to bring a breath of new air to Hong Kong — which is achieved through multimedia interactivity and elements with a sustainable vision being portrayed on a large-scale 3D structure.
Sustainability is deeply infused in your project with La Prairie. How was that achieved and why was it important for you to have a fully circular installation?
A lot of my work has a sustainability element in it, and they are where "Light as Air" is referenced from. For example, Haiijaii is about global air quality, and shhh (樹) is about the destructive power of nature and how humanity as a community can rebuild it.
As an artist and creator, it is very important to me to be conscious of how the work is created, the materials used, its creative process, and the dismantling of my art installations. Apart from sending compelling messages to the viewers through artworks, we also have the social responsibility to be mindful of our entire creative process. I enjoy working on art installations that have a sustainable vision, in which the concept of a circular life cycle is incorporated, as I personally believe in the importance to reduce single-use products. For that reason, a lot of my work explores second or even third life to a medium or material.
When working with neon art, there is a lot of glass breaking from the stress of the material or additional extension of glass needed to prevent heating our fingers during the process. Some part of Light as Air in Tai Kwun is reusing these glasses along with the production glass waste from La Prairie's White Caviar collection to create a special effect that is reflected in the installation's interactivity element. Moreover, some unused and unwanted neon tubes in the making process will also be used during the installation process. As the neon tubes from the art installation are highly durable, they can be reused after dismantling — giving the artwork a new purpose.
Light as Air honours the past, is expressed in the present and embraces the future. What is your wish for the future of neon?
I wish to see more different forms of neon in the future. Based on my experience, this is also why I am setting up a creative and safe space for female-identifying bodies who are interested in neon in Hong Kong, to support people who have an interest and also a creatively safe space for them to do experiments with glass. I personally believe for neon to thrive; it has to demonstrate diversity and accessibility.
Discover more on laprairie.com.
