December 03, 2003

Lights

Hong Kong buildings have a fascination with lights. I do not know why. However any skyscraper worthy of its name has some assortment of lights on its exterior. These vary from bright neon advertisements to nausea-inducing patterns. When it is right it works wonderfully well, highlighting a spectacular piece of architecture and enhancing it. When it is wrong, it is woeful.

An example is the new Sir Norman Foster designed residential building in Repulse Bay. It is interesting, yet they've put the most ridiculous coloured lights on it. They follow a bizarre pattern of rainbow-like waves. This pattern induces waves of feelings in the pit of my stomach. It is visual pollution of the worst order and it detracts from an otherwise quality building. Now my co-workers, including some expats of longer standing in this city than I, maintain that those lights are good to look at. They say that after some time in HK you get used to them. I find that very hard to believe.

I will know I've been here too long when I find those lights attractive.

Posted by Simon at December 3, 2003 11:13 AM | TrackBack
Comments

I love those lights....everyone does. Its the reason people come to HK. You go to Cairo for the pyramids, Sydney for the beaches, Prague for the women, Athens for the ruins, Venice for the dampness,Dallas for the cowboys,London for the food. AND HK for the lights!
Now just get used to it! OK!

Posted by: CF at December 3, 2003 11:26 AM

i agree with CF. the lights are great. if you want a nice dark night-time with swathes of starts across the sky you go to the outback or the african bush, you want to see bright garish lights and have trouble spotting the moon let alone the stars then you come to hong kong.

they're great and we love 'em, especially lights that spell out B A R (and i haven't noticed you complaining about those!)

Posted by: english at December 3, 2003 11:39 AM

The Center is the coolest building in the city, next to maybe the HSBC building. Uber. Simply uber.

Posted by: nekkid at December 5, 2003 11:26 AM

Dear Simon,
I came across your site while trawling through a google search on Neon. It may interest you to know that I have recently published a book called: "Neon City, Hong Kong" and it is available with my other book: An Eye on Hong Kong" at most good bookshops in Hong Kong. I hope that you wil like it and bvuy a copy or copies for friends. It is laso available for corporate gifts through: Daniel or Kasyan Bartlett at Pacific Century Publishers tel: 23762085
Regards, keith Macgregor

Posted by: Keith Macgregor at January 15, 2004 07:57 PM
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