Alex Charles – Australian AIDS Memorial Quilt panel

Quilt panel, part of Australian AIDS Memorial Quilt, in memory of 'Alex Charles, 4-5-1944 15-12-1990', cotton / wool / ink / synthetic materials, made in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1991 Quilt panel, landscape orientation. comprising four quadrants. The top left and bottom right are natural colour, the bottom left and top right are gold coloured. In the centre on a blue background is the following in white 'Alex Charles (reverse appliqué) 4-5-1944 15-12-1990 (ordinary appliqué)'. In the top left there is a black and white 'yin and yang' symbol and a red circle, both done in reverse appliqué. The eyes of the yin and yang are made from cloth tape. In the top right there is a photograph printed onto the quadrant. In the bottom left there is a photograph of two cats printed onto the material. In the bottom right there is a pair of athletic shorts, which are padded with foam, held on with safety pins and an embroidered inscription 'Be Still My Soul' in red. Also included are four crocheted woollen granny squares. The quilt was made in Melbourne, Victoria, about 1991, by his lover, members of Alex' family, and a friend.