I Went to Mason Studio’s Invisible Tide So You Don’t Have to (But You Should)
After the hustle and bustle of IDS and DesignTO opening weekend, Designlines editorial assistant Sophie Sobol breathes easy at the immersive group meditation
I didn’t know what to expect when I first walked into the Mason Studio Cultural Hub. I was aware the exhibition would feature an immersive soundscape, large cascading curtains, and pools of illuminated water, but as I stepped onto the dimly lit pathway—once a functioning office—I still felt a tingle of nerves. The DesignTO exhibit, dubbed The Invisible Tide: Awakening Unseen Forces, has set Toronto’s design week ablaze. Pun intended: the glowing chambers, bathed in orange light, make you feel as if you’re sitting inside a flickering fire.
Photo courtesy of Sophie Sobol.
Designed by Mason Studio in collaboration with meditative sauna and ice bathhouse Othership, lighting designers Mulvey and Banani, cymatics experts Seeing into the Unknown and perfumery CBCB Fragrances, the immersive experience was designed to activate all five senses—which I can confirm, it did. From the moment I stepped sock-footed into the central space, sitting two-by-two along a pillowed peninsula jutting out into a pond of sound-activated water and fog—my wrist spritzed with a CBCB scent inspired by playing in the dirt—I felt pleasantly detached from the city outside.
“This installation is not just about what you see or hear—it’s about how you feel,” reveals Ashley Rumsey, co-founder of Mason Studio. “We wanted to create a space where visitors could step away from the distractions of everyday life and tune into the subtle forces that influence their inner and outer worlds.”
Photo courtesy of Sophie Sobol.
I was guided through an intense breath-work session, culminating in a meditative 1-in-1-out inhale and exhale pattern. As I over-oxygenated my system, lights flickered behind my eyelids, and I felt a real sense of release. After a weekend of stomping around the Interior Design Show (IDS) in my best loafers, this moment of meditation was exactly what I needed. By the time the dancing light show softened into a salmon-pink sunrise, I didn’t want to leave – and lingering in the reception area, it seemed my fellow participants didn’t either. Faced with the prospect of a dark, bitterly cold commute home, who would?
“Design has the power to go beyond aesthetics—it can create visceral, transformative experiences that awaken something deeper within us,” says Stanley Sun, co-founder of Mason Studio. “With The Invisible Tide, we are exploring the invisible threads connecting us to the spaces we inhabit, revealing how they shape who we are.”
“So, did it work?” I asked myself as I left the building, enjoying a mint (the sense of taste not to be forgotten). At the end of the meditation, we were encouraged to turn to a neighbour and share how we felt. We discussed: yes, our aches and pains had eased (even if we felt slightly overstimulated). But did I feel transformed?
For the team at Mason Studio, transformation was undeniable. Their entire main floor was completely reimagined for the installation’s run (January 25 to January 29 for guided sessions), a process that even involved overcoming minor flooding when the pool was first laid. Thanks to their design expertise (and some duct tape), the floor remains unscathed. And in true commitment to The Invisible Tide experience, the team plans on working from the installation and taking meetings by the reflective pool.
