There It Glows

La Prairie and Chankalun's collaboration is an embodiment of heritage preservation with sustainable sensibilities.

- Noel Khoo

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.

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 nine 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.