“A fireworks display is not free. It is an instrument of power never paid for by the taxpayer”, Jean-Eric Ougier, master pyrotechnician
It is perhaps the cheapest show in the world, considering the number of spectators. Fireworks are also the passion of Jean-Eric Ougier, a formidable scenographer known throughout Europe and based … in Annecy. Discovery.
He plays with fire. Profession: master artificer. Jean-Eric Ougier is also one of the best scenographers in Europe. He is the author of large-scale shows, such as that of July 14 on the Champ de Mars, in Paris … the night parties at the Palace of Versailles, or the pyro-concerts on the shores of Lake Annecy. , where he has resided for many years.
Lake Annecy is, in fact, the setting, every summer, for a great lake festival and its famous pyrotechnic show. ” I took part in it 7 times, I believe »Comments our interlocutor. ” It was one of my goals when I was a child, from the age of 3. I said: I want to do this! », He explains by evoking the place where his family, of Parisian origin, made a success of their holidays.
Admittedly, Jean-Eric was born in the capital, but he took his first steps in Menthon-Saint-Bernard, does not know much about the magnificent castle, located on the shores of Lake Annecy. It was there that one day, when he was a child, he saw lightning fall. ” It seems that I went outside under a downpour, saying to my parents: it’s beautiful! The same year, he attended his first fireworks display, on the occasion of the centenary of the reunification of Savoy with France. We are in 1960.
He keeps a precise memory of this discovery. “ The colors, the lights and above all the party. There were military parades at the time, with an emperor and an empress. This celebration was much more ambitious than today. For a kid it was amazing », He testifies with nostalgia. ” For me, it was the year of all the holidays. “
At the age of 10, he already realized his childhood dream. ” My father and my big sister went to buy me all my powders after I read a Spirou magazine, in which they gave the necessary ingredients. I made my first fireworks in the kitchen. Looking back, he admits it was a bit dangerous. ” My parents even bought me black powder. Looking back, my sister said today that they were totally oblivious. It is true that we were brought up, along with my and sisters, in total and permanent trust. “
I almost set fire to our chalet one day
Much later, in 1994, when he created his first fires of July 14 in Paris, his father told him ” What you do is brilliant … I would have liked him to tell me long before, but frankly he always trusted me, when I almost, one day, set our chalet on fire. “
After some management studies, he had created his company “parties and fires” in 1981. Since then, he has always practiced his profession from … a drawing. ” I draw a lot. I consider that the beautiful is what has met people in a state of confidence. And it takes shape, like decoration. I am neither more nor less than an ephemeral florist »He sums up.
To succeed in a fireworks display, beyond the artistic conception, the designer must turn to a very professional manufacturer. ” He has time to design beautiful things. And there, it is the chemistry which comes into play. There are bombs, rockets… only military vocabulary, quite simply because the powder was initially used to make the war. Once the victories were acquired, they were celebrated with the same product.“
The powder was first used to wage war
Having learned to mix products very, and being passionate about the subject, Jean-Eric Ougier does not hesitate to discuss with his manufacturers. ” I created my bombs a lot. For example, for Puy du Fou, I worked with a Spanish manufacturer, with whom we created specific products. “
Pyrotechnics is certainly an art, but, according to Jean-Eric, it is also a power. The one that allows you to control the fire. ” Fire indeed remains a symbol of power. A symbol of god, of rejoicing, of celebration. Fire is omnipresent in our lives. When the fireworks arrived, the people of power saw it as a magical expression. A way to show the people their power », He recalls.
A direct link that will lead him, logically, to realize his second dream: to participate in the festivals of Versailles, he attended when he was a kid. ” Louis XIV was educated in a tradition of epic novels. He was also a great dancer. When he came to power, he tried to win the hearts of his subjects by having big parties. At that time he had recourse, of course, to fireworks.
In several centuries, the technique has nevertheless innovated a lot. With more security. ” We also created new colors, reduced pollution. But the way of manufacturing remains very traditional. As everything explodes, there is very little mechanics. Everything is done by hand, thanks to ancestral knowledge that has remained the same for several hundred years. »Testifies our expert.
Jean-Eric Ougier also co-created, in the park of Saint-Cloud, the largest fireworks display in Europe, which occurs every year. ” It is without doubt one of my biggest fires. I have always considered the fireworks display to be a spectacle in its own right. An art, repetitive, for which people could pay. It’s one of my fights. Organizer of shows where people come by paying. “
Very often, it is you who pay it with your taxes, for the service of the powerful
No wonder, when you think about it. “ Fireworks are never free, you know. Very often, it is you who pay it with your taxes, for the service of the powerful. A mayor gives the impression of offering the spectacle, while it is his taxpayers who finance him. ” With a reason for satisfaction: the fireworks display, even with a large budget, is one of the least evaluated shows, “around 3 euros per spectator, on average. “
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