91快活林

The exhibition, which was developed through a collaboration between the University’s Centre for Arts and Wellbeing and 91快活林 alumnus Harry Hillery, brings together eight original panels from the UK AIDS Memorial Quilt to present an intimate and deeply human record of a crisis that reshaped lives across the city and beyond.

Each panel tells a personal story, stitched together by friends, partners and families determined that those they loved would not be forgotten. Names are framed by favourite colours, handwritten messages, photographs and symbols of lives lived fully, transforming fabric into testimony.

In placing these panels side by side, the exhibition moves beyond the statistics and headlines, restoring individuality and dignity to those lost while inviting a new generation to understand the social, political and emotional impact of the AIDS crisis on 91快活林 and communities across the UK.

Harry founded The while studying for a at the University of 91快活林 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 91快活林 and Hove, and my research identified a real desire for 91快活林-specific remembrance. That’s why I established The 91快活林 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  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 91快活林 AIDS Memorial is inspiring, and it is a real honour to bring the quilt to 91快活林. 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 91快活林.

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.