Soft Connections showcases pieces from Amy Claire Mills extensive portfolio of vibrant quilts and interactive works including Unsolicited Advice!, This will only hurt for a second and Soft Places. 

Taking over Arts House’s foyers, Unsolicited Advice!, is a body of work developed over a lifetime of navigating awkward, unsolicited and often invasive advice Mills has received because she is disabled. 

Extracts from these conversations have been sewn into vibrant quilts with which the audience is invited to interact. The artworks critique these interactions, amplifying all the cliché and thoughtless advice disabled people are accustomed to receiving – highlighting the absurdity of society’s compulsion to rescue, change, or fix disabled people. 

For Alter State’s closing party Disabled and Sexy, Mills creates an immersive and interactive social space, with select pieces from This will only hurt for a second and Soft Places.

This will only hurt for a second delves into the transformative potential of softness in reclaiming body autonomy. Reimagined soft sculptures replace traditional medical tools, subverting established medical environments’ cold and sterile nature.  

Challenging us to rethink our understanding of medical care and to recognise the significance of touch and connection, these pieces are a symbol of resistance against the dehumanising aspects of medical treatment, advocating for a more compassionate approach that honours both our emotional and physical needs.  

Soft Places offers an immersive and interactive experience through soft sculptural picnic settings. Featuring an array of textures, colours, and whimsical forms—like oversized flowers, multi-coloured fruits, and fluffy sweet treats—these works invite viewers to engage their senses and creativity. It suspends the traditional rules of “don’t touch the artwork,” encouraging play and exploration for a dreamy, surreal escape.