The 25-year-old photographer and her four siblings were homeschooled, guided by their desires and passions rather than a prescribed curriculum
‘Khamsa’ refers to a palm-shaped amulet popular throughout North Africa and the Middle East. Translating to ‘five’ in Arabic, it depicts an open right palm. When repeated three times, it acts as a protective incantation from the evil eye. For 25-year-old artist Julia Gat, ‘Khamsa’ represents the idyllic environment in which she and her four younger siblings were raised. Having moved to the south of France from Israel in 2007, the five siblings were home-schooled, and grew up speaking Hebrew, English and French. Their parents followed an alternative educational philosophy called ‘Unschooling’, an approach led by each child’s needs and desires.
Khamsa Khamsa Khamsa is Gat’s decade-long autobiographical project. Beginning when she was 15 years old, it documents her family, but also their “intimate bubble” of friends and neighbours who also pursued an alternative route to education. For the first seven years of their lives, the children were encouraged to play – to immerse themselves in activities and socialising. “We grew up in a bubble,” she says. “A self-created world, playing games and inventing characters.” From the age of 14, they were encouraged to pursue a certain path. Her two youngest siblings are still figuring out their passions; her second eldest Nina is pursuing a career as a jazz pianist; and for Gat, it was photography.