Neon Canoe

Category: Public Art

A triptych of neon signs, each depicting a canoe, which reads: 'Dug out canoe found AD 1871'.

This refers to an archaeological find on the site, beneath the foundations of the former Tontine buildings.

From the 1650s until the present day, maps have been record of the history of the land and also an indication of a time that has gone before.

Through analysis and research into the site, three strong images of what the Merchant City looked at different times during its development were uncovered. The first was of cornfields, occupying what is now King Street and Parnie Street; the second was orchards, once the gardens of the Merchant City running up Glassford and Hutchison Street; and the third was a dug-out canoe excavated from the site of the former Tontine Buildings.

Where cornfields and orchards are no longer present on contemporary maps, having been replaced by streets and buildings, the neon sign stands as an archaeological reminder of this history.

Neon undoubtedly is the medium of urban signs and a recognised icon of the city. Most cities and metropoles have neon signs, but Budapest in particluar must have some of the most lyrical and sophisticated examples.

The city of Budapest is adorned with colourful, luminous drawings that have become an integrated part of the architectural, urban landscape. They date back to the 1960s, the period known as 'soft communism' when the communist state looked towards the west but still followed party ideology. There are no brand names in these neons, this was not commercial or capital advertising, but the purpose was rather informational; e.g. cafe, puppet theatre, printer, lost and found office, etc.

'Dug-out canoe found AD 1871' was influenced by the aesthetic of the Budapest neons and their 'non-advertising' status, and by Marc Auge's idea of the 'supermodern'. This piece mirrors this concept, presenting historical and archaeological information as art, as a sign, as a spectacle, as light.

This is the first (the pilot) in a triptych of neon signs located in Tontine Lane and the first of a series of neons proposed for the Merchant City, all of which will draw their images from the history of the area.