Sixty Ravioli for Claudio

A gift for Claudio, on his 60th birthday, from his sister.

A box filled with his favorite “dish”, Ravioli, embroidered with words by his loved ones.

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Cada uno de nosotros, solo, no vale nada

Each of us, on our own, is worthless

Che Guevara

I had the pleasure of meeting Claudio, who lives in Argentine, for the first time only from afar – through the wonderful stories his family told of him. A year after his 60th birthday we met in person – during his visit to Israel.
Two of the stories I heard about Claudio inspired the making of his gift;  the first, a simple note regarding his eating habits – specifically, his great love for Ravioli, and the second, his identification with Che Guevara’s ways and vision, and the realization of Guevara’s ideology throughout his own life.

The gift I created with Claudio’s family acts as a bridge; it connects people living in different countries and speaking different languages, and celebrates the connection between these people who observed the same person, understand and describe him – each in their own way. The participants were asked to think of a word that symbolizes Claudio to them. The chosen word was embroidered on one side of a “ravioli” made of felt, and the name of the person who chose it was embroidered on the other side. The embroidery was created in collaboration with his family members and myself. Sixty “raviolis” were collected to one box, arranged in two tiers, separated by parchment paper, with a gold thread woven between them.

When Claudio opened the box he found his favourite dish and a set of words that represented and defined him in the eyes of those who love him – family, friends, colleagues and even his gardener. The union which formed between the participants and their partnership in the making of the gift created the portrayal of one man, Claudio.

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Claudio sent me a “ravioli” he embroidered himself: “You have made me very happy”.