The AIDS Memorial Quilt is considered by many as the largest piece of community folk art in the world. But more than just an art, the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt is actually a tribute to all those who have died from the pandemic HIV/AIDS. With over 50,000 panels, and weighing more than 53 tons with a combined coverage of 1.3 million square feet, the quilt that is currently displayed at the National Mall appears to be getting bigger and bigger – a sorrowful reminder of the disease’s fate.
Thankfully, Microsoft has teamed up with the University of Southern California, and other institutions to bring the AIDS Memorial Quilt online. Using Microsoft’s Bing mapping technology, the team created a zoomable map of the quilt, as well as an app and an interactive timeline. “The quilt is composed of more than 6000 blocks, each of which has eight panels. In total it comprises more than 49,000 quilt panels. 49K isn’t a lot when you are thinking about hard drive space but at this physical scale it is mind-shattering,” Microsoft said. You can view the AIDS Memorial Quilt online.
Filed in . Read more about Microsoft.