Neon Bloom is a thread installation that transforms the gallery into a faux ecosystem as a means of considering reactive and adaptive strategies. Comprised of thousands of suspended sculptural elements, this constructed ecosystem is further shaped by the artist’s imagination of how nutrient cycles, energy flows and topologies might affect these blooming forms.
For this project the artist begins with a sewing machine to create three dimensional thread drawings. Stitched lines are made on a temporary surface by sewing onto fabric that dissolves in water. The crossing threads create strength so that when the fabric is dissolved the thread drawing can hold together without a base. These flat embroideries are then sculpted with heat to create a three-dimensional form.
During the installation period leading up to the opening of the show, Neon Bloom takes on a life of its own in the gallery space, hooking into ceilings, spreading across walls, wedging into corners and anchoring along ledges. Once the installation process is complete, thousands of blooms cluster, float and spread through the space, creating an intensely coloured and immersive environment.
Neon Bloom investigates the sculptural potential of this embroidery process and explores the dualities that embroidery offers – the subtle qualities versus an accumulative and persistent presence and the structural possibilities versus the inherent fragility.
AMANDA MCCAVOUR
Amanda holds a BFA from York University where she studied drawing and installation. She has recently completed her MFA in Fibers and Material Studies at Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia, PA. Since 2007, she has participated in national and international exhibitions in the United States, France, Italy and most recently in the Ukraine. In the past year McCavour has received grants and awards from the Ontario Society of Artists, The Embroiderers Guild of America, The Handweavers and Spinners Guild of America, Craft Ontario, Tyler School of Art and The Surface Design Association. McCavour has completed residencies at Harbourfront Centre’s Textile Studio in Toronto, at Maison des Metiers D’art de Quebec in Quebec City, at the Klondike Institute of Art and Culture in Dawson City, Yukon and at Struts Gallery in Sackville, New Brunswick.
