HIV – THE LONG ROAD TOWARDS A VACCINE (EDITION OF SIX)
„HIV – The long road towards a vaccine“ is an artist book about AIDS. In 2008, I had the great privilege to meet Dr. Ruth Ruprecht, Professor of Medicine in the department of Cancer Immunology and AIDS at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. A pioneer in HIV research since the early days of the epidemic, Dr. Ruprecht introduced me into her realm of test tubes and petri dishes, of formulas and statistics. This book is my tribute to her, to her work and to all researchers who dedicate their lives to finding a cure for the worst epidemic of our time. My admiration for them is infinite and I thank Dr. Ruprecht from all my heart for sharing her time and knowledge. Looking at my images, I started reading books on AIDS and studied many Internet sites related to the epidemic. Being an emotionally touching and deeply stirring subject, it took me over a year to digest all the information I gathered. Adding text to the images, I tried to document the horrible impact this infection has on society, by being as accurate as I could with the statistics I used. As the numbers show, there is still a long way to go towards a vaccine.
'A person is a person through other people': This traditional saying of the Zulu people of Southern Africa reflects so very well the spirit of UBUNTU as the humanist philosophy of Africa; showing compassion towards people in need, seeing them as part of a greater whole, not in individual isolation.
The key concept of UBUNTU is how we all behave towards each other; what we do to make the world a place of sharing, not dividing; to ease the suffering and to find solutions for the lonely, the needy and the sick members of our community. Dr. Ruprecht introduced me to one of the manifestations of the UBUNTU and I very humbly pass it on through this book.
8“ x 8“, 68 pages, printed on Epson Stylus Pro 3800 on River Linen 60 lb cover; the font is Academy Engraved LET. Four pages are printed on material from the suits the researchers wear in their containment suites. Limited edition of six.
