Natalie Cunningham, The Illusion of Calm (PEOPLE 2022)

The illusion of calm represents the intricacies of social masking engaged in by many neurodivergent individuals at the extreme cost of their mental wellbeing. The presence of light and colour merely distracts us from the chaos and overwhelm lying in the shadows of calmness leading to the perception that they are "fine". If they don't "look" autistic, they can't be. The overwhelm is as real as the petals, smell and texture within the darkness of black roses; but knowing these details exist, we amplify our senses to experience them.

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