Unfolded across multiple civic and institutional sites in New York City as a participatory tribute to collective loss, healing, and remembrance following the COVID-19 pandemic. Presented in collaboration with the World Health Organization and the Global Scrub Choir, and in support of the Pandemic Accord, the project was activated at Lincoln Center, Central Park, the United Nations Headquarters , and the Mount Sinai Health System.
At each site, participants and healthcare workers transformed public space into a shared field of ceremony, song, and collective mourning.
At the United Nations, Living Memories was presented during the 78th United Nations General Assembly as part of the High-Level Week in 2023. The ceremony was attended by Eric Adams , Mayor of New York City, and Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, underscoring the project’s civic, diplomatic, and global public-health significance. Following its New York realizations,Living Memories continued its international trajectory to New Delhi, Rio de Janeiro, and Geneva, where it engaged new communities in site-specific rituals of remembrance and healing. Across all locations, the project functions as a living social memorial —an evolving archive of grief, resilience, and collective care shaped through participation, song, and shared human presence.
• Deep Peace Composer and Global Scrub Choir: Dr Emma O'Brien
• Creative Producer and Curator: Bakul Patki
• Production Manager: Aliki Lala
• Tech Lead: Tyler Calkin-Low
• Quilt Fabrication: Rightfully Sewn
• Editor: Michael Muench
• Special Thanks to:
• Arts and Health, World Health Organization
• Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Christopher Bailey, and Paul Garwood
• Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, NYC (Shanta Thake, Eun Lee, and Gina Ferrara)
• Stuart Perkins
• DP:Victoria Sendra

The song Deep Peace was written for the AR work and also performed live
• Music composed by: Dr Emma O’Brien OAM
• Performed by: Global Scrub Choir Chamber Lab
• Sound production by: Craig Pilkington @ Audrey Studios
• GSC Chamber Lab (Performers): Craig Pilkington, Darcy Carrol, Emma O’Brien, Henry O’Brien
& Olivia O’Brien
Lincoln Center ORG