When We Went In at Torpedo Factory Art Center

See When We Went In: The D-Day Experience in Light and Sound at the Torpedo Factory Art Center Target Gallery in Alexandria, Virginia now through January 17, 2027. Created for the National D-Day Memorial by Virginia Tech’s Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology (ICAT), When We Went In: The D-Day Experience in Light and Sound is an immersive experience combining large-scale projection, archival imagery, and surround sound to bring audiences closer to the events of D-Day. Told through authentic film, photographs, wartime illustrations, letters, diaries, and oral histories, the experience gives voice to the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and nurses who lived through June 6, 1944. At its heart is “Omaha Beach,” a poem by World War II veteran Peter Thomas, whose account of landing on Omaha Beach provides a thread through the narrative. Originally created for D-Day’s 80th anniversary in 2024, When We Went In returned in 2026 with a new prelude commemorating America’s 250th anniversary, tracing the nation’s journey from the Revolutionary War to World War II through the Declaration of Independence and the words of four generations of American military leaders. Torpedo Factory Art Center is open daily, 10AM – 6PM unless otherwise listed on the center’s website. Please check today’s hours for holiday hours and early closures for private events. Yes, the Torpedo Factory Art Center was an actual torpedo factory! Learn more about its WWII-era production and history. Powered by advanced technology and networks of creative people, the Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology (ICAT) brings together and supports teams of faculty and students from across academic disciplines to address grand challenges and creative opportunities, ranging from large societal problems to industry-specific issues to the frontiers of artistic expression.