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“06:29 am: The Moment Music Stood Still” is a new exhibition about the Nova Music Festival massacre that happened in Re’im, Israel on October 7, 2023, and it just debuted inside a 50,000-square-foot space at 35 Wall Street.
Following a 10-week run in Tel Aviv, the exhibit, which record executive Scooter Braun and others organized, basically recreates the grounds of the festival, where Hamas terrorists killed over 360 attendees and took 44 people hostage.
As you can imagine, the exhibition retells the horrific acts that took place through gathered objects from the festival that were shipped to New York. Among them are empty liquor bottles, camping tents, bullet-pocked portable toilets, charred cars, sneakers, jewelry pieces, T-shirts and more.
Adding even more weight to the immersive experience is the presence of Nova Festival survivors who will be on-site to share their testimonies and witness accounts.
“October 7th is a day tragically etched into our history, but music must remain a safe place,” Braun said in a statement. “Bringing the Nova Music Festival to New York City honors those who were taken from us too soon; while reminding us of the progress we still need to make to bring the hostages home. The festival’s message of peace for all sides will live on, despite the continued conflict abroad, as there are still innocent civilians being held hostage under horrific conditions in Gaza. We must not forget them, and we must bring back and reunite the innocent music lovers with their families. Music must remain a safe space.”
The similarities between the new exhibit and the nearby 9/11 Memorial Museum, a site filled with objects from the September 11 attack, are palpable, organizers say.
"We aimed for the project to be the closest we could bring it to the 9/11 Memorial, because that’s exactly the connection we want people to make," Yoni Feingold, one of the exhibit's founders, said to The Art Newspaper.
Given the current state of affairs and the rise in antisemitic crimes all around the nation, attendees should expect heightened security measures around the site of the exhibit, including screenings and pre-ticketed entry times, which you can schedule right here.
Donations from the exhibit will benefit Nova Healing Journey, an organization that supports the mental health treatment of October 7 victims and families.
It will remain on view through May 23.