A SERIES OF SMALL PLASTIC CAMERAS SERVES AS THE CENTRAL INSPIRATION FOR A JAPANESE GROUP WHOSE ACTIVITIES INCLUDE PUBLISHING BOOKS, ORGANIZING EXHIBITIONS AND PRODUCING CDS AMONGST OTHER THINGS. SUPERHEADZ IS ONE OF THE HOTTEST NAMES IN JAPANESE YOUTH CULTURE, NOT FOR BEING HI TECH BUT FOR REINTRODUCING RETRO AESTHETICS.
SuperheadzINaBabylon, commercially known as PowerShovel, is one of the most groundbreaking creative teams in Tokyo. It was founded in 2000 by Hideki Ohmori who wanted to make his two main interests, music and photography, his profession. It all began when the first Russian style cameras hit the Japanese market; small, low cost, plastic cameras that became known as “toy cameras”.
According to Ohmori to start with he wasn’t really thinking about the business side, he mainly wanted to promote the use of cameras as a type of notebook that adds a little bit of magic to everyday moments and records “little optimistic lies”. Very soon the company began producing other models such as Golden Half and more recently Blackbird Fly (BBF), while broaching other areas including publishing and music through offshoot labels such as PowerShovelBooks and PowerShovelAudiο. Photography, however, remains at the epicenter of their activity; whether it’s photographer Moriyama Daido’s book, bundled up with a CD of music inspired by his work or an exhibition that includes ten million pictures! The impact they’ve had on the Japanese market has become quite apparent with the younger generations and the art circle embracing the toy cameras, and with financial paper Nikkei tipping them for future investment. When it comes to the company’s future, Superheadz don’t want to plan too far ahead, they prefer to simply look forward to the next creative collaboration.
