ce mercredi, un feu d’artifice spécial Anubis
Played by a costumed actor, enlightened at each of his interventions, the god who accompanies the deceased sovereigns in the afterlife will address the spectators from a boat to tell “his last journeys”. Even if the narrator will adopt a “rather monotonous tone”, just to make “a little bit of voice from beyond the grave”, promised, the result will be “festive and good child”. And undoubtedly magnificent. David Proteau is a great signature of pyrotechnics. Covered with awards, this 48-year-old Rochelais based in Bordeaux was, for example, awarded in 2013 at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes the trophy for best international scenographer and director.
From 7 to 200 meters in height
The rockets, which the artificers call “pyrotechnic bombs”, will go up to 200 meters. They will be fired from a large barge placed in the middle of the body of water and nine other, smaller ones, lined up in front of the main hall of the Parc des expositions, the whole making up “a facade of 350 meters of fireworks”. The shapes that will light up the sky and appear in the water have pretty names, such as palm trees, giant dahlias or weeping willows. At the bottom of this fresco sequenced in tableaux, “perfectly synchronized with the music”, will spring fountains of light culminating at 7 meters.
When we think of the Orient, we imagine warm colors. “It’s true, there will be a lot of red and gold, says David Proteau. But we cannot be satisfied with these colors, because the public would not understand. He waits to see them all. There will be more shimmering colors, green, pink, pastel colors. “About thirty in total.
David Proteau has produced shows for planetary artists such as U2, Michael Jackson, Rihanna…
This visual choreography had been developed for the 2020 edition of the Bordeaux International Fair, which was finally canceled due to the pandemic. “The show was ready, finished, precise its conductor. But when you don’t play it, you let a little time pass, then you want to improve it. We reworked the whole concept. “A perfectionism all the more admirable that with his team, he realizes about fifty great shows a year, from July 14th of scale, like last year in Paris and Bordeaux, but also for planetary artists. The list is impressive: U2, Michael Jackson, Rihanna, Beyoncé, Coldplay, Kiss, Drake or even Robbie Williams.
The Bordeaux International Fair has often called on his talent, when the United States and then Japan were in the spotlight, for example. “I never do the same show again,” he says. For the one on Egypt, he promises “a lot of novelties”. On the historical aspect, “we have extremely well documented”. But, of course, he was not going to reveal everything. “I kept 80% mystery,” he smiles.
Environmentally friendly
“The specificity of this show is that it has a carbon footprint of zero, underlines David Proteau. It is 100% compensated by planting trees. As was the case for the one in Talence, last Saturday May 21, in partnership with Reforest’Action. This ecological approach is part of the continuity of the fireworks display in 2021 in Bordeaux on the occasion of the national holiday, “which had been truly exemplary”, thus meeting the expectations of the municipality. A new technology has emerged. “Our company has found a molecule that makes it possible to make fireworks without any fallout of heavy metals into the atmosphere,” he says. This research program began fifteen years ago. Bordeaux was our testing ground in 2021.”