The History of Neon Sign Wall - We Are Bright Lights

Neon sign wall is a piece of advertisement art that has become popular in the last few decades. It shows an animated neon sign that covers a whole building, usually with a story-like message or promotional slogan. They are typically installed in commercial buildings and small businesses and shops, but have also been found in residential properties as well. 

The artwork was inspired by advertising trends of the time on billboards and other outdoor advertising signs, such as signs lit up with animation techniques, like light bulbs pulsating or changing colors over time to’ “catch your attention.” Each style of signage had its own advantages and disadvantages. Traditional neon signs were expensive to maintain, but were relatively difficult to vandalize; the LED ‘artwork’ is set up inside buildings where they are out of sight, making them safer for vandalism and easier to maintain as well.

The history of the Neon Sign wall can be traced back to an article by J. M. Fridlizh in “Electrical World” from 1927 entitled “The Evolution of Neon,” in which he describes the development of neon lighting technology and its origins among businesses such as “Floyd’s Sporting Goods” and the “Neon Sign Company.

The History of Neon Sign Wall :

1. The Evolution of Neon :

The Neon Light was used for the first time in 1910. It is a type of lighting that uses neon as a coolant to excite mercury vapor. A long glass tube is filled with mercury and neon and it works in two phases.In the first phase, it starts with an inert gas and then the gas is ionized.

In the second phase, electricity is passed through the gas and gas becomes plasma. In this process mercury vapor emits UV radiation at 254 nm, which excites neon atoms which then emit red radiation of 600–625 nm wavelength when they return to their ground state.

2. In the field of Business:

The use of neon signs in business was first seen in 1924 by Floyd’s Sporting Goods in Times Square. In 1925, “Neon Sign” Company started as a business to provide neon signs to different companies. And, due to its increasing popularity, other businesses followed them and started buying neon signs. Neon was used for commercial purposes during the Great Depression and The Second World War periods.

3. In Art:

One thing led to another and people started to become more interested in art than the business side of neon lights. Neon started to be used in artworks due to its creative side of the light. The most famous of this artwork was “Neon Rose” by Wolfe Kaufman in Los Angeles. He made a glass tube that is filled with neon gas, so that it can be lit up at night.

This is the story of how Neon Signs came into existence and how they changed the face of advertisement posters, making them more attractive than ever before.

The ‘Story’ is located on Ryerson Avenue near Burnhamthorpe Road and Ethel Avenue West in Mississauga, near the intersection of Mississauga Road and Derry Road West. It is in a building that contains small shops, offices and restaurants. A few of the restaurants that can be found in this building include “The Mississauga Family Restaurant”, “Pizza Pizza, and Bawarchi Indian Cuisine” as well as an office for “Moss Building Group”.

The ‘Story’ was created in 2009 by Janet Davis of Davis Signs, who was hired by the owners of the building to create a work of art using neon light in order to draw more attention to the businesses within.  Originally, the artwork was meant to be a preview of what would be seen on display at the 2010 G20 summit in Toronto, but later changed to just a simple neon sign.

4. The ‘Story’ as a Work of Art:

The ‘story’ is made up of four parts, which all flow into one another. The first part is an animation that depicts an old man running through time and escaping from different things while a clock ticks in the background. The second part shows an astronaut flying through space, looking at the Earth. 

The third part shows the same man lying on his back on grass with different flowers surrounding him as a woman walks by him with her dog, leading him to look up at a brighter future ahead. Finally, the fourth and final sequence shows the man opening doors to reveal his grandparents and great-grandparents, many being immigrants to Canada. The same animation and music can be found on the sign as well.

5. The Sign’s Location:

The ‘Story’, based on the location of where it is placed, only works for a short time span, as Mississauga’s location changes every day due to its geographic location and the seasons. It is placed near the intersection of two major highways, two major roads and two major highways that lead to different areas of Mississauga.  

This gives people the impression that they are in a part of town where they can find whatever it is they are looking for or might hope to find in a future or past period of time. This also prevents businesses from having to acquire another sign when their current one ceases to work for them.