Rituals

Keeping the Love Alive
The Quilt Project is a moving testimony to the courage of so many people who have been infected- and affected - by HIV/AIDS. It should be seen as the final facet of a holistic approach to the pandemic, which begins with preventative education and moves through the provision of support services for those who are already living with the condition.

Rituals
Due to the deep emotion that underlies each panel, those who are associated with the Quilt consider it to be a public memorial. Consequently, a series of rituals has developed in relation to its public display.

Panel makers officially hand over their completed panels to the Quilt Project in a public ceremony, usually connected to the annual display associated with the Candlelight Vigil. Handing over of each new panel can be an emotional time for those concerned, as they often feel that they are relinquishing a deeply significant and personal item. After the handing over of new panels, the Quilt is officially and solemnly unfolded by a special team of volunteers, some of whom may be representatives of other community groups.

These trained teams follow a set procedure which included encircling each individual Quilt block and opening it is choreographed unison. The unfolding is accompanied by a public reading of names from the Quilt, often undertaken by prominent community figures. All Quilt volunteers are required to wear white clothing - from headgear to footwear - whenever they appear in public alongside the Quilt (e.g.. as Quilt monitors or unfolders). This particular tradition arose from the idea that neutral white will neither detract nor distract from the colours of the Quilt panels.

Visitors to the Quilt are invited to leave their name or written response on a Signature Panel which is specially produced to accompany each Quilt display. This Signature Panel is the only portion of the Quilt that the public are permitted to touch. Visitors' messages are often as personal and poignant as the Quilt itself.