The piece of art will be located on South Crescent, Store Street, in Fitzrovia, close to the former Middlesex Hospital where Broderip Ward became the first dedicated to the care and treatment of people affected by HIV/Aids in the United Kingdom. It was at this hospital that Diana famously shook hands with a man living with Aids, challenging the idea that the virus could be passed on by someone’s touch. Gallaccio’s proposal, which was selected by a panel of judges from a shortlist of five artists, features a tree trunk which has a hollowed-out space.
She said: “The proposal as it stands is holding space with the intention of providing a meeting place, a heart for community-generated events and oral histories...
“The tree is a symbol of life. The planes that line the street side of the crescent are everywhere in the city, for good reason, they withstand pollution. “They are survivors, living, despite their environment, a clunky but perhaps fitting metaphor for those living with HIV and Aids.
Hidden in plain sight.” The memorial is being delivered by the charity Aids Memory UK, which aims to raise awareness of the continuing impact of HIV and Aids. London Mayor Sadiq Khan has committed £130,000 funding from the Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm towards the memorial.
Ash Kotak, founder of Aids Memory UK, said: “The announcement is a major milestone for the already seven-and-a-half-year-long campaign to deliver The Aids Memorial in London. “The foundati.
