Colourful and poignant memorial to the tragedy of the HIV/Aids pandemic, which took so many people in the Eighties and Nineties, many of them my closest friends and fondest playmates. I liked the panel with the motto “For those we dare not name” which encapsulates the ethic of gay promiscuity before HIV/Aids. Most of my friends requested that mourners wear white or colourful clothes for their funerals. Several times I played out one last time a deceased’s favourite HiNRG music and gay anthems like “I am what I am”. The diversity of styles and the colours of the Quilt community art project reflect that mentality of life lived to the max then snatched by disease.
I first remember seeing panels of the Quilt at the Body Positive Centre, the London Lighthouse and the Mildmay when visiting various friends, some for the last time and some who are named on a panel in the Quilt. Revisiting today the complete tapestry exhibited in all its tragic extent is a raw experience. I celebrate being a survivor of those times, and several other events since. Fantastic that “I’m still here” (as the song in Sondheim’s Follies runs) and with that there’s a duty to “smell the flowers while you can”, a great motto that’s a reminder of those cruel times.
AIDS UK Memorial Quilt at Tate Modern continues until 16 June 2025
