Experience a meditative journey into the stories and memories of those who served.
Encounters – Echoes of War is an immersive sound and light art installation by digital art studio Iregular that incorporates the voices of 16 veterans.
This unique and intimate encounter with their experiences invites you to witness and reflect on the long-lasting impacts of service.
Artistic statement
Encounters – Echoes of War is an immersive audio installation that challenges the way we experience history, presenting it not as a fixed narrative, but as an emotional geography we enter and navigate. Voices emerge from silence, find the listener, and walk alongside them, sometimes close, sometimes drifting, always personal. Each interaction is singular, shaped by the visitor’s movement in space.
A unique scenography of ultrasonic sound technology and intentional light design creates encounters that feel deeply intimate and human. A veteran’s voice seems to emerge from the air beside you, as if speaking only to you, in a space free from visual distraction.
By walking with these voices, we engage in a subtle yet powerful act of remembrance. And in doing so, we carry the echo forward.
– Iregular
What to expect
As you enter the exhibition space, you will hear a low murmuring and see narrow spotlights lighting up a darkened room. Moving around lets you hear short recordings of veterans telling their own stories. The light and sound focus on you as you discover and focus on each new voice. If you share the space with others, each of you has a unique and personal encounter.
There are two benches outside the central interactive area. You can sit and take in the light and sound and witness others as they move around and encounter the voices and memories.
In addition to experiencing this meditative environment, you can learn more about the veterans and their stories. Encounters – Echoes of War draws on 16 of the more than 200 interviews conducted for the Museum’s In Their Own Voices oral history project. Use an accessible kiosk to read or hear their stories. You can also visit the In Their Own Voices online exhibition on your mobile device.
While you are there, visit Last Voices of the Second World War. It uses veterans’ words, photos and personal mementoes to explore their journey to rebuild their lives and make meaning of their experience. It also sheds new light on the challenges, rewards and legacy of military service.
Encounters – Echoes of War was created by Iregular, using interviews conducted as part of the Canadian War Museum’s oral history project, In Their Own Voices.
In Their Own Voices is generously funded by donors including the A. Britton Smith Family; the Azrieli Foundation; Arthur B.C. Drache, C.M., K.C., and Judy YoungDrache; The Royal Canadian Legion; The Legion National Foundation; Friends of the Canadian War Museum; the Crabtree Foundation; Robert Stollery, in honour of his service in the Second World War; Colonel (Ret’d) Stanley A. Milner, O.C., A.O.E., M.S.M, C.D., LL.D.; and individuals from across Canada.
