3D AIDS Quilt Attracts High Profile Contributors
Immersive, Interactive 3D Quilt
Builds Momentum for World AIDS Day Launch
[TORONTO] - December 1, 2010 - The 3D AIDS Quilt , set to
debut in two virtual worlds and across the web on Worlds AIDS Day, (December 1, 2010) - is attracting a wide range of high profile contributors as the date approaches. "Interest has been high on a number of fronts," says Jena Ball, the creator of the Quilt and
Co-founder of Startled Cat , the
organization behind the project. "We have everyone from individuals to large institutions asking to participate. We're proud to have organizations like RTI International (RTI), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,
the Center for AIDS Research (CFAR), and the Triangle Global Health Consortium involved."
The 3D AIDS Quilt takes the concept of a patchwork quilt - composed of squares of fabric - and transforms it into a collection of 3D rooms or dioramas.
Each room is dedicated to a person(s) whose life was lost to AIDS and tells a story using a variety of tools including 3D objects, video, photos, poetry and
song. The Quilt was conceived as a way to commemorate the lives of those lost to AIDS and build a global community of individuals and organizations
committed to using their collective creativity and resources to eradicate AIDS.
"One of the marvelous things about the Quilt is that it reaches out in an entirely new way to educate and empower people around the globe," says Nicole Fouche,
Executive Director of the Triangle Global Health Consortium . "Information
about HIV/AIDS is one of the best ways to protect people and communities from this terrible disease."
The 3D AIDS Quilt will live in the virtual worlds of Second Life (SL) for
adults and on JokaydiaGrid - a world devoted to
education - for children. The goal is to create a dynamic, empowered community for all ages that has the tools and resources to connect, collaborate and share their stories. "Stories create empathy and understanding, which in turn alleviate fears and debunk stereotypes," says Jo Kay Wollongong,
the founder of JokaydiaGrid and Coordinator of the children's portion of the Quilt. "The 3D Quilt is an ideal narrative tool - allowing people from around the world to connect and create 24/7. It is always available and can grow to any size."
The 3D Quilt will launch with a brief one-hour ceremony at Noon Pacific Standard Time on December 1, 2010 (World AIDS Day) in Second Life and on
the web via Online Events and additionally at www.3DAIDSQuilt.com .
The agenda for the event will include a brief welcome and discussion of the project, readings by Quilt contributors and live music. Participants will be free to tour the completed Quilt pieces and sign up to create their own memorials.
For more information about the Quilt and the World AIDS Day festivities, please go to: www.3DAIDSQuilt.com . If you
or your organization would like to contribute a room to the Quilt, please fill out the sign up form on the site or contact Jena Ball or Marty Keltz directly.
Jena Ball: Jenaia.morane@gmail.com
Phone: 919-535-8472
Marty Keltz: Marty@startledcat.com
Phone: 416-587-3381
To view the Quilt, please launch the Second Life browser and use
the following SLURL: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Storybook%20Island/52/160/26
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About the Karuna Initiative and the 3D Quilt
The 3D AIDS Quilt is part of Startled Cat's Karuna Initiative begun in 2008 in Second Life (SL). In addition to the island of Karuna, originally funded by a
generous grant from the National Library of Medicine, the Initiative has built the Uncle D Story Quest, the AIDS Poetry Garden and the Ryan White Story Tree.
The 3D AIDS Quilt was born of the realization that the key to eradicating HIV/AIDS lies in three basic principles - education, empathy, and empowerment.
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