Earlier this year, over 100,000 New Yorkers formed lines to pay their respects to the deceased and witness the largest terrorist attack ever carried out at a live music event. The Nova music festival, where at least 360 attendees were killed and over 40 taken hostage by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, is now inseparably linked to the broader ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

A group of activists and creatives wanted to send a clear message in the months that followed: “We will dance again.” So reads a neon sign at the “Nova Exhibition,” an interactive memorial to the musical gathering that took place that day. After a successful run on the East Coast, the exhibit opens on Aug. 17 in Culver City. (A specific location has not yet been disclosed in the interest of security.)

Omri Sassi, Yoni Feingold, Ofir Amir and Yagil Rimoni conceived the installation, which was directed by Reut Feingold and originally showcased in Tel Aviv. For the exhibit’s third presentation, partners including Scooter Braun , Joe Teplow and Josh Kadden are assisting the project in gaining traction within the Hollywood community.

“Music brings us together. It is not a force that divides us,” says Braun, former manager to Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande. “We must honor the victims of Nova as a way to help us understand each other’s shared humanity. Our hope is that opening in L.A. provides an opportunity for individuals from all backgrounds and communities to unite as one.”

Visitors will journey through a re-creation of the festival grounds. Abandoned personal belongings, a devastated camping area, rebuilt stages and portable restrooms riddled with bullet holes will be on display. Smartphones will be strategically placed throughout the exhibition, each containing accounts of the attack. Photographic tributes and a designated space for written condolences will also be featured.

Kadden was working a steady tech job and holding down another full-time gig when the attack on the Nova festival occurred. The tragedy profoundly affected his life, he tells Variety , and he’s since dedicated all of his time to sharing survivor stories and fostering a larger conversation about healing.

“The intention is to acknowledge this, the most significant tragedy in music history,” Kadden explains. “In a place like Los Angeles, where creators are exploring this — whether it’s behind a soundboard producing an album, thinking about a movie or a TV show — this will hopefully become a part of everyone’s collective memory. The idea of hope.”

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, New York City Mayor Eric Adams and David Banks, chancellor of the city’s public schools, all showed up for Nova during its most recent iteration. Organizers are hoping for a similar turnout from influential figures and artists in Southern California. To that end, Kadden and the “Nova Exhibition” team embarked on a promotional tour to major talent agencies and select content producers, and several documentaries about the Nova festival are already in the works.

Security was the most significant expense in Nova L.A.'s budget, Kadden states, financed by donations. The exhibition arrives at a time when live event organizers are especially apprehensive. Taylor Swift was forced to cancel three performances in Vienna scheduled for last week when Austrian intelligence foiled a terror plot by young men acting in the name of ISIS, according to reports. In New York, the “Nova Exhibition” attracted hundreds of pro-Palestinian demonstrators, who were subsequently condemned by Adams.

“I want to ensure that our impact in L.A. persists beyond the exhibition itself. We’re contemplating collaborating with the public school systems here on curriculum centered around the Nova exhibit and the broader Nova narrative,” Kadden states. “Where educators can responsibly explore what transpired on that day.”