Artwork

Asked about films and filmmakers that inspire her, Diana suggested Playtime and Mon Oncle by Jacques Tati. Tati is not perhaps an influence that would have immediately sprung to mind, but as she explained, Tati made ‘pure film’ without much use of dialogue. He combines the staging, directing, and visual language of comedy to create captivating and hilarious films that can’t easily be put into words. Likewise, Diana wants people to feel and experience her movies without having to explain them.

Although everything in the images she creates is precise, with every centimetre thought through, Diana also feels the need to inject a certain amount of chance into her process. That is why she tends to leave the equipment she will use for a shoot to be somewhat randomly selected. She will use whatever camera is handy, never wedded to a certain type of equipment (although lenses matter more). That random selection introduces an unplanned element in the picture, and as she prepares for the shot. She also draws inspiration from the feelings and the reality of the moment when configured a particular composition. Her pictures taken over a time of uncertainty beautifully capture the feeling of entrapment and isolation that we have all experienced during lockdown. They are images that we relate to instantly.  Building on this, Diana’s latest work is a piece called ‘Intrance’, inspired by the search for an identity, by an exploration of change, fear and uncertainty that have become omnipresent in the last twelve months.  Intrance was filmed in Ukraine, where Diana was born, in early February. The escalation towards the war in Ukraine has influenced the edit, the music and the essence of the film itself. Going forward, Diana is hoping to explore moving light, projection, theatre and dance in combination with film.