Photograph of rows of huge quilt squares hanging in a gallery. They take up the whole space from floor to rafters. Hannah Eiseman

The UK AIDS Memorial Quilt, a unique piece of art and commemoration, has gone on display at the Woolwich Works, the Fireworks Factory. The rare exhibition launched on December 2nd, to mark World AIDS Day, and will run until Sunday 18th of December. It is free to attend, and being run by METRO Charity.

The UK AIDS Memorial Quilt is a testament to a time before was created to commemorate and remember the lives lost in the early years of the HIV AIDS epidemic. It is made up of 48 different 12-foot square pieces, each containing up to eight smaller panels. Each panel was contributed by friends, lovers or family who had lost someone.

Andrew Evans, METRO’s CEO, said:

"The UK AIDS Memorial Quilt is an irreplaceable piece of social history which marks a time before there were effective treatments for HIV/AIDS. It’s a patchwork of many individual and community acts of remembrance. The quilt is a celebration of humanity, an expression of grief, a protest and a record of some of the many lives lost too soon.

“Today people living with HIV can live long and healthy lives, and treatments exist which reduce the viral load until it cannot be transmitted to another person. Meanwhile, medications such as PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) and PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) are available to stop people from acquiring the virus.

“At METRO Charity we provide HIV and sexual health services to individuals and families in London, Essex and the South East. We are honoured to be able to share this unique work of art, which is kindly on loan from our friends at the AIDS Memorial Quilt Conservation Partnership."

Each piece of the Quilt was made by friends, lovers or family of people who died of HIV or AIDS. Creating these panels helped the grieving process for some friends and partners left behind. Many of the pieces were made in workshops at the London Lighthouse hospice.

The Quilt is an irreplaceable piece of social history. It is a patchwork of many personal memories, coming together to form a public memorial. The Quilt functions as both folk art and protest, a time capsule and a record of just some of the lives lost too soon. It is both a celebration of humanity and an expression of grief – of both individuals and whole communities. Many of the panels have an accompanying folder about the person being commemorated – containing photographs and letters.

Some of the 384 panels are tributes to individuals, while some are tributes to whole groups or regions. Some of the lives remembered on the UK AIDS Memorial Quilt include:

  • Mark Ashton, activist
  • Bruce Chatwin, writer
  • Ian Charleson, actor
  • John Curry OBE, figure skater and Olympic Gold Medallist
  • Denholm Elliot, actor
  • Keith Haring, artist
  • Derek Jarman, artist and film maker
  • Robert Mapplethorpe, photographer
  • Don Melia, publicist and publisher
  • Freddie Mercury, musician
  • Michael Sundin, actor, dancer, puppeteer, Blue Peter presenter

The UK AIDS Memorial Quilt Conservation Partnership is made up of the following charities, who we at METRO would like to thank:

  • George House Trust
  • Terrence Higgins Trust
  • The Food Chain
  • Sahir House
  • Positively UK
  • Positive East

The exhibition will run from Saturday 3rd of December until Sunday 18th of December, at the Fireworks Factory, Woolwich Works. The opening hours are:  

  • Monday [closed]
  • Tuesday [closed]
  • Wednesday 12:00pm - 5:00pm
  • Thursday 12:00pm - 5:00pm
  • Friday 12:00pm - 7:00pm
  • Saturday 12:00pm - 7:00pm
  • Sunday 12:00pm - 5:00pm