UK AIDS Memorial Quilt
The UK AIDS Memorial Quilt is an ongoing memorial project that commemorates lives affected by AIDS in the United Kingdom.[1]
The quilt was displayed in its entirety at the Turbine Hall of the Tate Modern between 12 and 16 June 2025.[2] This was the most significant display of the quilt since its 1994 display in London's Hyde Park.[3] The writer Charlie Porter had written to the Tate asking them to display the quilt.[3] In 2013 the quilt was being stored in a cupboard at the George House Trust in Manchester and was deteriorating.[4] As of 2025 it is stored at Positive East in London.[4]
The quilt consists of 42 quilts and 23 individual panels that commemorate 384 individuals.[2] [3] Notable individuals depicted on the quilt include Bruce Chatwin, Ian Charleson and Denholm Elliott.[3] The 1995 documentary film There Is A Light That Never Goes Out was made about the creation of the quilt.[2]
The quilt was created after the Scottish AIDS activist Alistair Hulme saw the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt on display in San Francisco in 1989.[3] [4] Hulme also met the creator of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, Cleve Jones.[4]
References
[edit ]- ^ Porter, Charlie (16 June 2025). "'People weep in its presence': how the UK Aids Memorial Quilt became one of our great works of art". The Guardian . Retrieved 12 September 2025.
- ^ a b c "UK AIDS Memorial Quilt". Tate Galleries website. Tate Galleries . Retrieved 12 September 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Parry, Josh; Rufo, Yasmin (12 June 2025). "'Brave and beautiful people' remembered in Aids quilt display'". BBC News . Retrieved 12 September 2025.
- ^ a b c d Curtis, Alastair (9 June 2025). "The UK AIDS Memorial Quilt Needs a Permanent Home". Frieze (magazine) . Retrieved 12 September 2025.
