The AIDS quilt


Section of AIDS Memorial Quilt

Section of AIDS Memorial Quilt
Photographer:  © Sydney Quilt Project

The function of the quilt has changed from being a tangible expression of grief, to a site of remembrance, and an opportunity for people to revisit old friends.

Working with the quilt has filled me with lots of different emotions. There's some sort of connection for me with the person commemorated, even though I didn't know them personally.

It's an emotional experience when we display the quilt, and I see something new and different each time. You can tell so much about a person's life from each panel. It's the most incredible memorial, but one which enables you to see the humanity behind the statistics. Douglas Knox, 46, former Convenor, Quilt Project, Sydney


In 1990, an estimated 520 Australians died from AIDS-related illnesses. Deaths reached their peak in 1994 when around 753 people died. In 2001, 97 Australians died from AIDS-related illnesses. (Estimates from the National Centre for HIV and AIDS).

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Tags Death Online, remembering the dead, memorial, AIDS quilt,