Neon light artist keeps dying Hong Kong trade flickering

Karen Chan is part of a group of young artists learning how to make neon lights to try and keep the dying trade alive in Hong Kong. Also known by her professional name “Chankalun”, the 33-year-old Chan describes herself as a “neon nomad” because she has travelled to places such as Amsterdam and New York to learn from artists there. Hong Kong’s neon light trade has long been dominated by masters who have guarded their knowledge even as advertising signs were converted from the gas-filled tubes to cheaper, more-efficient LED lights, and city officials began clamping down on unsafe hoardings.