Dear Diana

Sandy Connon

31 October - 21 November 2026

The Diana is a cult-classic 1960s toy camera first made in Hong Kong by the Great Wall Plastic Factory and later revived by Lomography in 2007. It was known as an inexpensive 120-film camera with a plastic body and meniscus lens, which produced dreamy, soft-focus images.

Quality was not a priority in the production of the Diana. It had two shutter speeds, three aperture settings, and could shoot 16 four-by-four-centimetre frames on 120 film. The lens caused heavy vignetting, the focus was soft, and poorly fitting parts of the housing frequently allowed light to leak onto the exposed film. Sometimes the film spool advanced only partially to the next frame or stopped working entirely, while the camera also made it easy to create accidental or deliberate double exposures.

The camera was quickly adopted by artists who celebrated its unreliability and soft focus. Diana cameras have since become desirable collectors’ items.

This work explores the place of memory, imperfection, and obsolescence.

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