Wedding at Qana

Commissioned by The French Academy in RomE

The cave where Jesus turned water into wine marks the magic of faith intertwined with material reality. This defining moment occurred in a humble cave on the outskirts of a village caught between the fault lines of a conflict zone. The Holy Land, with its rich history and ongoing significance, witnesses events unfolding and frontiers being drawn, yet only water seeps through the land and earth, persisting in the end.

In this work, Dala explores the site of the miracle itself. The rock formations leading up to the cave, where the water was gathered, inspiring fabrics marked with the very stones from the cave's interior and exterior. The works cascade down the Villa Medici staircase, dyed with water from the pools, using coloring from the surrounding shrubbery. This body of work reflects on the landscape and location of the cave and its significance today through the vessel of water, the material central to the miracle.

Rubbings of Qana Cave made in charcoal on various cotton fabrics, dyed with walnut shells and steeped in the pools along the mountainside

18.5m long; individual artworks range from 1 to 4m in height