Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Bangkok Post - July 14, 2004
Anjira Assavanonda
That was the beginning of Aids memorial quilts created in memory of those who died from HIV/Aids.
Such quilts now adorn the walls of many conference rooms at the Impact Convention Centre, venue of the 15th International Aids Conference.
Each piece has a unique story to tell.
There are two kinds of them - memorial quilts made by the families or friends of those killed by HIV/Aids, and "living" quilts created by people living with HIV/Aids themselves.
Yesterday, a workshop opened in one corner of the conference venue to show how to make such quilts.
Jeff Bosacki of the US-based Global Quilt organisation, who runs the workshop, said the original idea was to make them in remembrance of loved ones lost to HIV/Aids.
But today these quilts serve as a tool to help raise awareness or to promote education or prevention programmes in the fight against HIV/Aids.
He started making quilts in 1987. He has already finished four pieces for his close friends who died of HIV/Aids.
Mr Bosacki himself has lived with HIV for 26 years. However, that was not why he joined the project.
"I was inspired when I went to a classroom in Africa to display the quilt works, and saw how I could make a difference. These quilts can make children understand that they can have friends who have Aids, and that they won't catch the virus," he said.
The quilts seemed to work well with children, he noted.
"We can see changes in the children who saw the quilts. Some wanted to create their own quilts, while some wrote to their prime minister to complain that he hadn't done enough for Aids, some planted trees, while some wrote poems to show their compassion for people they knew who had HIV/Aids," he said.
Currently, the Aids quilt projects are being carried out in 30 countries around the world, including Thailand.
In the United States, 45,000 quilts have been made for people with HIV/Aids. Their sizes differ, depending on what they are for. A memorial quilt is about the size of a coffin, while a living quilt is about 12-18 square inches.
Quilt-making sessions allowed people living with HIV/Aids to get together and share their experiences and problems, which helped heal or ease their pains, said Mr Bosacki.
Aids memorial quilts are normally decorated to reflect the personalities of those they are intended for.
One piece shown at yesterday's workshop is decorated with bundles of a man's neckties arranged to form the word "Nestor". Mr Bosacki said it was created by a family from Venezuela for their son, Nestor, who died of Aids. The neckties were once worn by the son.
"For families and friends, the quilts are the last physical attachment to the people they lost," Mr Bosacki said.
However, some of the conference organisers did not seem to understand their sentimental values.
Jumpol Apisuk, the conference's cultural programme coordinator, said that initially the quilts were to be displayed in all the conference rooms, including the venue of the opening ceremony.
However, the Foreign Affairs Ministry ordered that the quilts be removed, saying they posed an eyesore. "It is regrettable we could not make the Foreign Affairs Ministry understand how the Aids quilts are significantly related to HIV/Aids," Mr Jumpol said.
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