loss. nothing. memorial. is a sound installation to honor and provide ceremony for musicians, singers, and choir directors lost to HIV/AIDS in the Black Church between 1980 and 2005. The public health crisis impacted and was consequential to the social reality, theological understanding, and sound practices of the black church. Using the sounds of musicians on the Hammond organ that died of AIDS-related complications between 1980 and 2005 as the sonic foundation, loss. nothing. memorial. is an immersive sound event. Visitors will use their (personal) headphone devices and smartphones to listen to the sounds of musicians, of sermons they would have heard and endured, whispers and sounds of despair, but also sounds of joy and celebration.

Support for loss. nothing. memorial. is provided by the Center for Public Art & Space at the University Pennsylvania Weitzman School of Design.