Throughout the reading I really enjoyed seeing how the symbolism of the interwoven nature of the yarn and the person who it covers connects the two. The symbolism of the quilts and yarn work to initiate a conversation about the HIV crisis through the photos that were taken of those affected by the disease was a very powerful sentiment. While reading I really felt as though yarn work has a very personal connection to many people and by photographing a queer man with a woven quilt, it allows for the victims of HIV to be humanized more directly. I feel that the soft symbolism of the quilt contrasting a body ravaged by disease takes the fear away from the person themselves and brings awareness to the danger of the disease instead and in this way I think that yarn is a very powerful tool in achieving this kind of image. Regarding the quilt displayed at the National Mall, I wonder if using this type of craftivism to bring attention to issues in our communities such as homelessness, food insecurity, and disease would help bring more awareness and impact people in a similar way to the HIV awareness quilt.
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