The Fitzrovia Chapel will display this month a special new quilt dedicated to the life and legacy of Terry Higgins, one of the first people in the UK to die of an Aids-related illness.

Commissioned by the Terrence Higgins Trust to mark its 40th anniversary year, it has been made with the help of The Quilters’ Guild, and consists of eight individual panels, each devoted to a different element of Terry’s life.

The Terry Higgins Memorial Quilt is part of a rich tradition of memorialisation and “radical quilting” associated with Aids activism which first occurred in the 1980s in America.

Produced by skilled quilters and based on stories and tributes from those who knew and loved Terry, the panels trace his story from a childhood in Wales to the Heaven nightclub where he met his partner and eventual co-founder of Terrence Higgins Trust, Rupert Whitaker OBE.

The Fitzrovia Chapel was previously part of the Middlesex Hospital, which housed the UK’s first dedicated Aids wards.

In this healing and contemplative setting, visitors are encouraged to remember those lost to the virus and to reflect on the progress made by Terrence Higgins Trust, who are striving to end new HIV cases in the UK by 2030.

Terry Higgins Memorial Quilt, from Wednesday 8 May to Friday 17 May 2024, at The Fitzrovia Chapel, 2 Pearson Square, London W1T 3BF. Free entry, no ticket required.

https://fitzrovianews.com/2024/05/07/terry-higgins-memorial-quilt-at-the-fitzrovia-chapel/

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A pink marble bust of singer, songwriter and musician Lawrence, by sculptor Corin Johnson, is on show at The Fitzrovia Chapel from today.

Lawrence is a former resident of Cleveland Street in Fitzrovia, and has released over 20 albums with his groups Felt, Denim, Go Kart Mozart, and Mozart Estate.

Corin Johnson is a sculptor who has previously collaborated with musicians Nick Cave, Grace Jones, and James Johnston.

Johnson’s Portuguese pink marble sculpture of Lawrence with his distinctive visor and hood evokes a monk in contemplation, an urban rebel and a public figure in disguise.

The exhibition at The Fitzrovia Chapel is curated by Martin Green of Duovision Arts and local Soho Radio and will include a specially commissioned soundscape.

Lawrence in Fitzrovia — Unveiling of the Marble Head. At The Fitzrovia Chapel, 2 Pearson Square, London W1T 3BF. Exhibition is free to enter and you don’t need a ticket. Open 11am to 6pm daily (closed Monday), Sunday 12 noon to 5pm, from 26 January to 9 February 2024.

https://fitzrovianews.com/2024/01/26/exhibition-lawrence-in-fitzrovia-unveiling-of-the-marble-head/

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