Menu
The Rocca Family is the collaborative art practice that has brought together Ola El Khalidi and Diala Khasawnih from 2010 and until this moment. This practice does not exclude other earthly or celestial creatures, human and otherwise, real and otherwise. The lines between art practice and life are blurred as the Family curls into questions about the meaning of life such as: “who am I?” and “who do you love more, me or this tree?” The Family uses all sorts of tools to step away from reality, noise and daily occupations to get closer and revive its ancestral relationships with the trees, worms, thunder and the moon.
Rocca is an ocean crosser and interspecies conduit, Rocca is the Family’s monster to which the Family owes the arts of sun sprawling, no BS-ing and seeing beyond the powers of the human eye. Rocca spent the last chapter of her earthly journey with her auntie Alma until she passed on taking the Family’s voyage further into the stars.
Diala is a creature in human form seeking to find her monster and reconnect with her instincts.
Ola, also known as the Captain and Taita O, continues to create intimate multi tool collaborative playful spaces like Makan Art Space, the Clinic, Rocca Family projects and Um El-Thabe sound sessions. She’s presently keen on listening.
The Rocca Family would not be the Rocca Family if not for the love of earthly and celestial creatures. Thank you for hosting, participating, contributing, encouraging, and giving the Rocca Family the space to dream and play:
Grandfathers and Grandmothers
Mamas and Babas and Aunts
Alma and Ghalib and Rocca
Our friends and lovers everywhere
All Zizi School wild creatures
Aman Space
All and any courageous participant at any and all Zizi appearances
The Rocca Family website was completed in collaboration with her wilderness Sama Shahrouri over endless pots of Afghani green tea. We thank Mohammad Shehadeh for the landing page icons, Omar Alrifai for his bird's eye review of the text. We also thank Razan Khatib for her technological wisdom and Aseel Badran for her technical support.
