Radical comfort with Luke Haynes

There’s something very tactilely, haptically human in the medium… fabric as blanket, as clothing, as environment, as texture. It’s about engaging with comfort – physically and emotionally.
- Luke Haynes

Takeaways from this episode

• Quilts can hold space for comfort, identity and public dialogue.
  Luke’s work explores quilts as both personal objects of solace and large-scale installations that transform public environments, encouraging reflection and connection.
  
  
• Materiality is part of the message.
  Whether using second-hand clothing or designing for sculptural impact, Luke embraces fabric’s familiarity and function to disarm viewers and invite deeper conversations about value, intention and perception.
  
  
• Repetition becomes a way of thinking.
  Through large bodies of work – from 50 log cabin variations to 100 quilts for a city installation – Luke uses repetition not only as a formal structure, but as a tool to explore meaning and refine ideas.
  
  
• Art is a living conversation.
  Luke’s self-portraits are more than representations – they’re evolving records of skill, self and inquiry. Quilts become a diary of changing intentions, perspectives and processes over time.
  
  
• Affirmation is a creative practice.
  The collaborative Affirmation Quilts project with his wife Nicole Leff is both public art and personal gesture – placing positive, takeable messages in public spaces without conditions or credits, inviting anyone to receive comfort without cost.

Explore the artwork from this episode below

During the interview, we shared some images of Luke’s artwork. Since you’re listening to the podcast version, we’ve made some images available for you below.

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