Silence

WOVEN in Kirklees | 2023 & Tangled Up SUNNY BANK MILLS | 2024

Work Andi Walker · Photography Sunny Bank Mills · Video Studio BOKEGHO

Silence draws attention to the repeatedly brutal story of queer communities. It starts its journey in 1930’s Nazi Germany with the pink triangle used as a stigmatising mark, allowing for the identification of homosexual people. To the 1960’s and the symbol being reclaimed by the gay rights movement and again by activists in the face of the 1980’s AIDS crisis.

  • Quilts have long carried stories, whether through pioneer quilts recounting tales of travel and migration, or AIDS memorial quilts commemorating those lost - a testament to community solidarity. Family quilts, often fashioned from outgrown clothing, bear their own rich histories.

    In recent years, I've been immersed in discussions surrounding HIV narratives. Vital to this discourse is the activism that propelled healthcare action, symbolised by the iconic pink triangle. Delving into its history - from its use in the Holocaust to its reclamation as a symbol of resilience - has been enlightening.

  • Inextricably linked to LGBTQIA+ history is the struggle against persecution. The iconography of ACT UP, notably the fuchsia pink triangle and the rallying cry “SILENCE = DEATH”, epitomizes this fight. The intersection of HIV/AIDS narratives and homophobic legislation, such as Section 28, underscores ongoing challenges. The pink triangle, once a tool of Nazi oppression, has been defiantly re-appropriated, its orientation reversed, and colour intensified. This transformation reflects broader societal shifts, where pink evolved from a symbol of masculinity to one of femininity post-war.

    Researching for these talks illuminated the all-too-familiar narrative of LGBTQIA+ persecution. Despite progress, rising homophobic crime rates and governmental inclinations toward restrictive legislation evoke a sobering reality.

The Quilt as LGBTQIA+ healthcare activism

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A selected historical timeline of LGBTQIA+ persecution and activism, which inspired ‘Silence’:

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  • 1871

    Paragraph 175 becomes the new anti-sodomy law in Germany. The law at this point was generally more relaxed in its implementation. The 1st row is pre-enforcement of this law by the Nazis. When Berlin was open and a progressive society. When a triangle was just a triangle.

  • 1933

    Hitler becomes chancellor of Germany. The crackdown on queer organisations, bars, and clubs begins. Then the triangle starts rotating down.

  • 1935

    The Nazi party amends paragraph 175 to give themselves unlimited power in the persecution and prosecution of gay men.

  • 1945

    Defeat of Nazi Germany. The camps were liberated. Gay men detained under paragraph 175 went from the camps to prison. They were seen and treated as criminals.

  • 1972

    The first documentation of the use of the pink triangle as a symbol of gay liberation.

  • 1981

    HIV identified.

  • 1987

    ACT UP founded in the USA.

  • 1988

    Section 28, UK Government legislation. (1) A local authority shall not— (a) intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality. (b) promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship.

  • 1998

    Success with combination therapy for the treatment of HIV.

  • 2003

    Section 28 scrapped.

    Yet the fight for equality continues.

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