Rewind to the good times and find pure nostalgia at this video store installation.
Friday nights at Video Ezy used to be the highlight of the week. Walking through the aisles to find your movie of the week wasn’t just practical, it was strangely emotional and meaningful, and far more fun than searching through Netflix. Do you pick a new release? Or do you opt for one of your all-time classics? Beethoven, Spice World, Free Willy and Flubber used to be some of the Australian Traveller team’s go-tos, but the possibilities always felt endless.
Well, now you can almost relive the dream at an art installation inside the Immigration Museum in Melbourne.
After an understandably positive reception last year, Victorian-based pop artist and designer Callum Preston’s Video Land installation is back. Preston has created a nostalgic love letter to the pre-digital era with the creation of a full-scale 90s video store replica, as part of the aptly named JOY exhibition. “It’s been about 20 years since they stopped making VHS, so I wanted to create a physical space and let it transport them to their memories of being in these spaces. I really wanted to just capture the chaos and the beauty and joy in all of that visual noise," Preston shared in his Artist Series video .
Within the installation, you’ll find shelves stacked with thousands of VHS tapes — sourced primarily from Victoria — along with neon signs and that unapologetically loud carpet, all evoking the charm of a retro video store. To up the fun, there are also custom stickers and membership cards, so you can fully immerse yourself playing shop in an adult world.
The installation is back until December 7, 2025, with tickets priced at $15 for adults and free admission for kids under 16.
