Double Shadow is a site-specific installation of over 400 embroidered elements from McCavour’s Black and White Studies series, arranged to appear as if they float off the wall. From afar it reads as bold graphic compositions, while up close it reveals intricate hand-stitching with botanical and geometric detail.
Toronto textile artist Amanda McCavour is bringing a striking new installation to Museum London, transforming the museum’s Atrium wall into a suspended landscape of thread, light, and shadow.
The exhibition, Double Shadow, features more than 400 individually stitched elements drawn from McCavour’s acclaimed Black and White Studies series. The site-specific installation uses delicate embroidered forms that appear to float just above the wall, creating shifting patterns as daylight moves through the space.
From a distance, the work forms bold graphic compositions, while closer inspection reveals intricate stitching, botanical imagery, geometric motifs, and layers of detailed handwork.
“Removing colour was a deliberate choice, and it created some interesting challenges for me in the studio,” McCavour said in a statement. “Working within black and white forced me to develop a vocabulary of mark-making in stitch — the same tension you feel in a bold ink drawing but rendered in thread.”
Museum London curator Cassandra Getty said the Atrium offers a unique opportunity for immersive installations that engage visitors immediately upon entering the gallery.
“I’ve followed Amanda McCavour’s work for years, and she presents a fascinating new direction for the long-held traditions of textile work,” Getty said.
McCavour’s practice combines hand embroidery, appliqué, felting, and machine stitching on water-soluble fabric, creating lace-like forms that emphasize the relationships between material, space, and perception. In Double Shadow, hundreds of suspended pieces accumulate and connect, reflecting themes of interdependence, resilience, and transformation.
The exhibition opens in Museum London’s Atrium and will remain on display until March 14th, 2027.
In connection with the exhibition, Museum London will host a botanical-themed PA Day camp, Natural Dimensions, on May 29th for children aged six to 12. Participants will create floral studies and hanging wire installations inspired by the exhibition’s textile techniques and mixed-media approach.
