A new exhibition in Brighton is bringing the stories of people lost to HIV and AIDS back into public view.
The display features eight original panels from the UK AIDS Memorial Quilt, created by friends and families in memory of loved ones.
The project is a collaboration between the University of Brighton’s Centre for Arts and Wellbeing and alumnus Harry Hillery.
Harry founded The Brighton AIDS Memorial (TBAM) while studying for a masters in Creative Writing at the University of Brighton and used his dissertation to explore the lack of creative work addressing HIV/AIDS in the city.
He said: “My dissertation questioned why there was so little creative work around HIV and AIDS in Brighton and Hove, and my research identified a real desire for Brighton-specific remembrance. That’s why I established The Brighton AIDS Memorial. Bringing the AIDS Memorial Quilt to the University means a great deal to me. It feels like a continuation of my studies and, at the same time, like closing a circle.
“Each panel tells a story, which helps bring the humanity back to a crisis that was made so dehumanising by the media and government for so many years. The quilt helps us fight the ongoing stigma. It connects with people of all ages, reminds us how far we’ve come, and raises awareness of the work still to be done.”
Beyond the exhibition itself, the display will support a wider programme of talks, teaching sessions and events designed to deepen understanding of the AIDS crisis and its ongoing legacy.
With around 107,000 people currently receiving HIV-related care in the UK, the issues raised by the quilt remain relevant today.
Jess Moriarty, Course Leader for MA Creative Writing and collaborator on the project, said: “Harry has taught me so much about the people whom the quilt seeks to remember, honour and celebrate. His commitment to The Brighton AIDS Memorial is inspiring, and it is a real honour to bring the quilt to Brighton. The stigma around HIV and AIDS hasn’t gone away and I hope lots of people take the time to come and see it in Elm House, it really is full of history, humanity and love.”
The quilt, first created in the 1980s as a grassroots response to the AIDS crisis, stands as one of the most powerful community memorials in modern history.
The exhibition will run from 13-17 March in the Elm House Foyer, at the Moulsecoomb campus of the University of Brighton.
Both Harry and his collaborators hope the exhibition will spark a new wave of interdisciplinary collaboration across the University and lay the foundations for future work on the subject. The exhibition is open to the staff and students, as well as the public.
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