The old cameras offering Gen Z a lens into new art

SPOTLIGHT / Click bait

It’s Saturday afternoon in Sydney’s Newtown and a small group of Hip Young Things are forming an orderly queue outside a modest shopfront. However, they’re not, as you might imagine, lining up for matcha lattes or vintage band tees or the pistachio gelato at MaPo. Instead, they’re waiting at Sydney Super8, a vintage film-camera store that’s experiencing – along with other outlets, such
as the new Cult Cameras, also in Newtown, and FilmNeverDie in Melbourne’s CBD – a moment.

Retro film cameras have been trending for a while, but a clutch of factors – including growing disillusionment with the digital world – has fired a renaissance. Need evidence? Japanese camera maker Pentax launched the Pentax 17 in June last year, its first film camera in 20 years.

That’s all music to the ears of Chris Tiffany and Nick Vlahadamis, who opened Sydney Super8 in 2013. Vlahadamis says 18- to 25-year-olds are the store’s biggest audience, attributing their interest to the COVID-19 lockdowns, when younger people had more spare time than ever and discovered film and cameras. “Now, they’re really enjoying the whole process,” he adds, “the colours, the grain, the wait and see how it turns out.”

Gen-Zers are buying everything from affordable point-and-shoot models from the Olympus MJU and Canon Sure Shot ranges to slightly pricier SLR (single lens reflex) classics, such as the Nikon FM2, Pentax Spotmatic F and Canon AE1.

And the audience might be getting younger: Vlahadamis reports that plenty of high schools are resurrecting their darkrooms and offering film photography as part of the curriculum. “Film and film cameras are definitely not going away,” he says. Deborah Cooke

LISTEN / Body double

It’s 1996: two fishermen on a boat off the coast of Devon in southern England pull up their net and find the dead body of a man. The only clue is a Rolex watch on his wrist, which eventually enables police to identify him, though they fail to discover how he ended up dead in the water. That is, until a junior cop looking to interview someone accidentally knocks on the door of the wrong house, gets talking to the couple who lives there, and makes a discovery that changes everything.
In Uncover: Sea of Lies, podcaster Sam Mullins (Wild Boys) tells a true story that sounds like fiction, involving stolen identities, fine art and one of the most wanted conmen in the world, a smooth-talker and compulsive liar whose trail of destruction crosses continents and decades. Barry Divola

WEAR / Sweet 16

French fashion brand Celine made its first swipe into lipstick last year with the launch of Rouge Triomphe, hailed as the ultimate Parisienne red. But one red is no longer enough, and the Le Rouge Celine range now extends to 15 shades. All the lipsticks have the delicate rose and rice scent
of the original, but Le 16 ($110) is a standout, with its versatile, brick-red finish, a strong foundation for any look. The refillable gold cases are also a reminder that even a midday touch-up can be a luxurious experience. Damien Woolnough

LEARN / Awakenings

Forget the textbooks: art education just got a bold new edge. The NGV Art School is offering a sharp mix of online and in-person courses that dive deep into the lives, works and wild worlds of art’s rule-breakers, from Yayoi Kusama’s polka-dot rebellion to the subversive strokes of the Guerilla Girls. No prior knowledge needed, just curiosity. With expert-led lectures, interactive workshops and behind-the-scenes insights into the NGV Collection, this is art education without the fluff – less lecture hall, more creative awakening. Available now (online sessions from $75 a lecture, in person from $250; discounted pricing for NGV members). Frances Mocnik

SHOP / Brother lode

Sometimes an association with a historical figure can lend a fragrance untouchable cachet – Acqua della Regina, for instance (gifted by Catherine de Medici to her future husband, Henry II of France, in 1533), and now the recently restored Eight & Bob. Created in the 1930s by Parisian Albert Fouquet, it came to prominence after a chance encounter between him and a young John F. Kennedy on the French Riviera in 1937. Taken by the woody, resinous perfume, the future president asked for a sample, which was duly delivered to his hotel with a note: “In this bottle, you’ll find the dash of French glamour your American personality lacks”. Back at home, Kennedy requested “eight more samples and, if possible, one for Bob [his brother]”. After the outbreak of World War II, Fouquet’s butler, Philippe, continued to ship the bottles to the US in hollowed-out books to evade Nazi detection. Eight & Bob ($349 “Original Eau de Parfum”, 150ml) is for men and women. Frances Mocnik

STAY / All about The Eve

There are hotels that simply provide a place to stay; others, more ambitiously, offer an experience. The Eve Hotel, in the suddenly cool inner-Sydney suburb of Redfern, belongs to the latter category. Since opening in February, it has made a splash, and not just because of the 20-metre swimming pool on its roof. Here is hoteldom at its smoothest and smartest: a 102-room development designed by award-winning architect Adam Haddow that has the look and feel of an urban resort. On the rooftop, it’s all sunbeds, palm trees and margaritas (from the Mexican restaurant, Lottie). At lobby level, Bar Julius serves food and drinks from breakfast until late; in theory, you could linger under its vaulted ceiling all day, moving seamlessly from caffeine to cocktails. But better, perhaps, to step outside and explore Wunderlich Lane, the restaurant and retail precinct the hotel anchors (from $519 a night). Jane Cadzow

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