Hong Kong neon signs
Introduction
The neon signs are disappearing from Hong Kong streets, and they will soon no longer diffuse the iconic and cinematographic radiance that makes Hong Kong night's glowing so special. More than just simple advertising messages, they are often adorned with artistic characters and graphics that are first hand-drawn on a paper. As a matter of fact, Hong Kong traditional neon signs are entirely handmade, and require particular skills that will be unfortunately lost in the modernization of the city.
Levert's photography, collages and three dimensional embroidered artworks are a complete, artistic and unique tribute to the iconic Hong Kong neon signs, the handmade craftsmanship, and the past Hong Kong culture and identity.
Photography
Levert lived seven years in Hong Kong, between 2015 and 2022. At that time the government has already started to remove most of the remaining neons, starting with the bigger ones, the ones that overlooked the crowded streets and were suspected to have become a dangerous threat in case of a big typhoon for example or in case of dereliction and insufficient maintenance.
Saying that, Levert managed to capture a large number of these iconic neon lights with her camera, and from the start of this archival work, decided to shoot them during the day, and not at night, as they are often represented.
Doing so, she not only captured the entire neon with all its graphic details and calligraphed chinese characters, the steal structure and all the wires, she also photographed the close environment in which the neon is nestled.
Discover a selection of the photographic archives depicting the neons here:
https://www.camillelevert.com/hk-neon-signs
Collages
Handmade in Hong Kong with Care
Displayed in feminine hands that seem to not only be holding the neon but also caring and cherishing it, the neon sign becomes a precious and unique object. In the meantime, the vintage look of the hands and gloves allows us to understand that these treasures are from the past and will probably remain there.
Discover the series here:
https://www.camillelevert.com/hong-kong
Three dimensional photocollage
A unique technic, a tribute to a vanishing craftmanship
Whilst discovering Hong Kong through the arts, Levert's artistic approach has been strongly influenced by the 3D photocollage technic that she learnt with a local visual arts teacher, Alexis Ip. She fully adopted this meticulous medium that she likes to combine with other tactile technic like embroidery on photography, and started some series of collages featuring Hong Kong aesthetics or disappearing icons: the cinemas, the neon signs, flora, houses and corner buildings... She likes the way it makes the impact on the viewer more tangible. How the deployed and layered image enables a more "physical" experience between the viewer and the picture.
Discover the full collection of artworks here:
https://www.camillelevert.com/other-3d-photocollages