Material Witness, part of Queer Bloomsbury 2025

About

In October 1982, at the age of 33, Jonathan Blake was the first person in the UK to be diagnosed with the virus that would later become known as HIV at Middlesex Hospital in London.  He was given the patient number L1 (London 1), and told he had just months to live…

Join us for a powerful and personal conversation with Jonathan Blake, the first recorded HIV patient in London, a lifelong activist and survivor, as he reflects on solidarity in the face of the AIDS crisis.

Blake will be in conversation with Siobhán Lanigan, a long-time advocate, protector of the UK AIDS Memorial Quilt and chair of @aidsquiltuk, who played a key role in the quilt's historic return to public view at Tate Modern.

The conversation will be chaired by Paul Flynn, acclaimed journalist and author of 'Good As You: From Prejudice to Pride – 30 Years of Gay Britain', a landmark cultural history of modern queer life in the UK.

Together, they will explore personal histories, public remembrance and the enduring power of activism and art.

Whenever and wherever the UK AIDS Memorial Quilt is displayed, the names of those remembered are read aloud — an act of witness, grief and love.  The event will begin with short reading of 60 names from the quilt panels on display, the tribute will last around 15 minutes.