Intelligent Mischief | Futures of Repair Cohort
NYC | 2025-2026
Impermanence | Rituals of Return
Transformation and repair aren’t solely the result of effort, they are also rooted in our ability to feel safe. Without a sense of safety, the heart remains guarded and true sustainable change remains just out of our reach.
Impermanence | Rituals of Return is a multi-sensory, research-driven installation by Rory Scott that explores how creating a practice dedicated to cultivating calm and safety (physically, emotionally, energetically and environmentally) can bypass the over-thinking mind and unlock deep healing within the heart.
Blending art, technology, scientific research, spirit and personal journey, the work is grounded in Scott’s lived experience of grief, self-repair and spiritual evolution.
The result is both a sanctuary and an invitation to reimagine healing, as a daily act of practicing embodying “calm” as care and as who we are.
The installation is visually inspired by nature and nostalgia. As well as the beauty and light that still remains within and outside of us, to be recognized and embraced even in our darkest hours.
Interactive and layered, the installation offers multiple QR activation points for visitors to explore:
AR meditation masks designed to foster digital vulnerability and presence
3D scans of an entryway before and after energetic/environmental clearing
A meditation area with curated wellness videos integrating breathwork, EFT tapping, etc.
The Impermanence Shared Spaces station, where visitors are invited to call the Impermanence Hotline and contribute anonymous voice messages for humanity, or write a word or short message inside a folded paper gem, offering their voice and energy to the evolving collective experience
Artist journal, research and field notes plus more
Every product used in the research, from grounding mats, tuning forks to red light devices and weighted blankets, were personally chosen, tested and tracked by the artist over a two-week period. Each element supports a central premise, that wellness must be holistic, encompassing body, mind, spirit, environment. While also consciously considering the impact and quality of consumption of media, food, water and daily interactions as well.
What emerged in the process was an unexpected shift. By tending more to the physical world with intention, Scott’s relationship with the digital organically began to change. Her desire for and time spent on social media began to fade away.
Impermanence | Rituals of Return is an immersive exploration, in transformation and healing through deliberate living. Focusing on care practices and tools that meet you where you are, where you can start now, that honor what you need and can fit easily into your life.