National WWI Museum and Memorial Opens ‘Encounters’

05/07/2025
Collage of four individuals in front of four CGI backgrounds: a Black soldier, an Indian soldier, a woman factory worker and a European soldier

The Museum and Memorial announced the new exhibit Encounters, which opens to the public on Friday, May 23. Through cutting-edge visual storytelling, visitors to Encounters will meet 16 individuals and hear their intimate first-person accounts crafted from diaries, letters and photos, including:

  • Allied and Central Power combat soldiers living through the hell of the Western Front and patrolling the seas in submarines;
  • British colonial Indian soldiers contemplating death and rebelling against the futility of war;
  • women working in munitions factories to support the war effort;
  • and dissenters arrested and tried for protesting involvement in the war.
Screenshot of a white male actor in a WWI uniform composited onto a CGI background of a bombed-out cathedral
Modern photo of a white female actor in a grey WWI-era skirt and jacket standing in a bluescreened studio being filmed by large elaborate cameras

 

“The incredible stories showcased in Encounters bring to life those who lived during the Great War in a way that’s never been experienced before,” said Dr. Matthew Naylor, President and CEO of the Museum and Memorial. “Encounters invites our guests to hear and see real, first-hand narratives of not just the soldier, but the nurse, child, and others who were impacted by global conflict. We hope these intimate encounters with 16 individuals are both moving and thought-provoking for visitors.”

Modern photo of a brown-skinned, bearded male actor in a WWI military uniform and turban, standing in a bluescreened studio while a wardrobe department person adjusts his costume
Screenshot of a white female actor in a WWI-era dress and red hat composited onto a CGI background of a European garden

 

The completion of Encounters culminates a three-year journey reinvigorating the Museum and Memorial, including the new Lower Level and Open Storage Center and updates to the Main Gallery, including 14 new interactive screens, three new films, new lighting and special effects, updated trenches, an authentic replica field hospital and much more. Additionally, the exterior grounds and buildings have undergone extensive cleaning and preservation work to maintain this national museum and memorial for generations to come.

Modern photo of a white male actor in WWI military uniform sitting on a pile of sandbags in a bluescreened studio, surrounded by lights and reflector panels
Modern photo of a computer monitor showing a white male actor in a WWI military uniform composited onto a CGI background of the inside of a submarine

 

Electrosonic created the immersive technical environment used in Encounters, which features Holoplot, the audio behind the Sphere in Las Vegas, and 1.25 mm LED technology from Nanolumens. That technology makes Encounters unlike any other museum installation in the world. The exhibit is designed by Ralph Appelbaum Associates with media design and production by Dot Crew. Lighting design is by Technical Artistry, electrical installation by Pro Electric and fabrication by JE Dunn Construction.

Encounters is located in the Main Gallery, adjacent to the Epilogue. It is included in a General Admission ticket.