Projects, essays and reflections on place, memory, mobility, and life across borders.
Patric Tengelin is a writer whose work explores memory, place, mobility, and the changing relationship between people and the modern world.
His essays range from personal memoir and travel writing to historical reflection, cultural observation, and archival projects focused on preserving individual lives and experiences. Whether writing about a memorial chair in Bryant Park, life in the Caribbean, the experience of watching films across different decades, or the realities of working remotely, his focus remains the same: how people create meaningful lives within the environments they inhabit.
A recurring theme throughout his work is the search for places that feel genuinely human. Places where community remains visible, where daily life unfolds at a slower rhythm, and where technology serves as a tool rather than an obligation.
Across different countries, cultures, and stages of life, his writing explores the ongoing search for that balance.
David Tengelin Memorial & Archive
A digital archive bringing together historical media coverage, broadcast interviews, memorial profiles, research materials, and contemporary essays relating to David Tengelin and his legacy. Drawing upon Swedish and international sources, the archive serves as a central repository for published material while preserving the public record of his life, the response to his death, and the continuing efforts to document and remember his story.
An ongoing archival project dedicated to preserving the life, writings, photographs, correspondence, and personal history of David Tengelin. Drawing on journals, family records, historical research, and firsthand accounts, the project seeks to create a lasting resource for future generations while documenting one individual's journey through New York, international travel, and the events that shaped his life and legacy.
Following completion of the Sourcebook Project, I intend to record a comprehensive oral history based upon my own memories and experiences. Drawing upon decades of research, family records, photographs, correspondence, journals, and archival material, the project will serve as a detailed first-person account of David’s life, our family, and the years surrounding his time in New York. The purpose is not only to preserve memories, but to leave behind a permanent historical record for future generations after those with firsthand knowledge are no longer here to tell the story themselves.
A planned self-financed, professionally filmed television-style documentary centered on the life, career, and experiences of David Tengelin (1976–2001), following completion of the Sourcebook Project and Oral History Project. The production will build upon many years of research and preservation, with David’s story presented through personal narration by his brother, Patric Tengelin, interviews, filming in New York and other locations connected to the story, and visual material that can provide context beyond the written and archival record. Depending on how the project develops, conversations with historians, educators, researchers, witnesses, and others may also provide additional perspectives on subjects arising from David’s life and the historical circumstances surrounding it. The completed production may ultimately be donated to museums, libraries, archives, or educational institutions.
A long-term reference site for the preservation projects dedicated to David Tengelin’s life and legacy. It will provide publication information, identify where completed work is preserved, catalogued, and made available, and explain how museums, libraries, archives, and other organizations can contact the project to consider completed publications for their collections or programs. The site is intended to remain a lasting point of reference for future readers, researchers, educators, and others seeking information about the projects and where their materials can be found.
Built around journal entries written by David Tengelin while working on the 100th floor of the North Tower months before September 11, this memorial essay preserves the observations, humor, and everyday moments of a young man whose New York story was cut short.
A literary memoir examining the connection between a young newcomer, the New York Public Library, Bryant Park, and a memorial chair that continues to honor David Tengelin more than two decades after September 11.
Returning to Ground Zero Over the Years
A personal account of returning to Lower Manhattan across the years following September 11, exploring memory, place, grief, and the evolving relationship between a city and those who continue to carry its history.
Cinema: A Trilogy Spanning Decades
A series of essays exploring the experience of watching films from the 1980s to the present day—from living rooms and school auditoriums to multiplexes, outdoor screenings, and aircraft cabins at 40,000 feet. These essays examine not only cinema itself, but the places, technologies, and cultures surrounding it.
Working Remotely from Barbados
A memoir of life under the Barbados Welcome Stamp program, reflecting on community, cultural adaptation, and the everyday experiences that transformed a temporary stay into a lasting memory.
Drawing on years of international living, this essay examines the realities of location-independent life, the search for belonging, and the practical challenge of finding places that remain enjoyable long after the novelty has disappeared.
Independent researcher examining global mobility, residency frameworks, and the administrative systems that shape cross-border lives. My work focuses on the intersection of taxation, residency, migration, and location-independent work, informed by extensive experience living and working across multiple jurisdictions.