For over three decades, the Angus cow neon sign playfully announced the location of Sammy’s Kitchen, a restaurant in the Sai Ying Pun neighbourhood of Hong Kong; this was the first neon sign that M+ collected. Designed by the restaurant’s proprietor, Sammy Yip Luen, this large neon sign was produced in the Fu Wah neon workshop (founded by Pak-Fuk Chiu in 1969) and required a high degree of skill and craftsmanship to make. In recent years ageing signs are fast disappearing from Hong Kong’s streets due to safety concerns and tighter regulation of ‘illegal structures’ (including Sammy’s Kitchen’s sign). With fewer artisans dedicated to making neon and greater environmental concerns, many signs are also being replaced with more energy-efficient LEDs. We asked Iry Ip, daughter of Sammy Yip, how she feels about the cow’s new home at M+. ‘The old buildings across the road had balconies with plants. The cow faced the plants. It looked like it was grazing on them,’ said Ip. ‘Those buildings were gradually demolished, and the cow seemed older without its plants. So, the cow now retires to the museum, where it can relax and chill.’ 🔗Chloe Chow and Bernadette Lai discuss their experiences collecting neon signs from Hong Kong’s streets in M+ Magazine; the link is in our bio 🎧This text contains lightly edited excerpts of an M+ audio guide stop 這個安格斯牛招牌,在超過三十年的歲月裏一直是西營盤的固定風景,指引路人森美餐廳的所在。這是M+收藏的第一個霓虹招牌。 這個巨型霓虹招牌是由餐廳老闆葉聯設計,富華光管工程有限公司製作,這家公司是由趙百福在1969年創辦。製作如此大型霓虹招牌,講求高超技術和卓越工藝。 近年,由於霓虹招牌引起安全顧慮,以及對「違例搭建物」(包括森美餐廳這個招牌)監管趨於嚴格,老舊的霓虹招牌正從香港街頭急速消失。加上製作霓虹招牌的工匠日漸凋零,還考慮到環保因素,許多招牌也逐漸被更省電的LED燈取代。 我們訪問了葉聯的女兒葉鳳儀,問問她對牛牛招牌落戶於M+的新家有何感想:「以前,我們餐廳對面有一些舊的樓房,那裏的陽台種了很多樹;這隻牛剛好對着這些樹,遠看就像是在吃草似的,你或許還會覺得這隻牛比較年輕力壯。後來,幾十年過去了,隨着餐廳對面建築物的改變,你也感覺到牛老了。現在這個招牌進了博物館,可以讓這隻牛休息一下了。它是時候退休了。」 🔗 周麗珊和黎藹琪在「M+雜誌」討論她們從香港街頭收藏霓虹招牌的過程,連結在帳號簡介 🎧 文字稍經編輯,取材自我們的語音導賞 #MPlusMuseum #MPlus博物館 #Mplus #HongKong #香港 #NeonSigns #霓虹招牌 #neonlights #霓虹燈