It was in the nave of the Grand Palais, built at the dawn of the advent of electricity, that the first airplane was presented to enthusiastic crowds. Hundred years on, Bruno SEILLIER the creator of the Nuit aux Invalides and Luminessences d'Avignon shows, is paying a magical tribute to Icarus, Daedalus and Pegasus.
From the brilliant and prolific Marcel DASSAULT to the most legendary airplanes, from the heroes of the French airmail service, Aéropostale to fighter pilots, the Grand Palais is going to vibrate as we go over the best moments of the conquest of the skies, through a symphony of sight and sound, a bridge between the past and the future.
Fly. A myth and a dream that goes as far back as the beginnings of mankind. A symbol of freedom and eternity, the sky, merged with the air, was a space that was inaccessible to men.
They however wanted to conquer the sky, but men could not fly on their own. What they needed was a mount to travel the skies.
THE CONQUEST OF THE AIR is the story of a man, Icarus, his mount, Pegasus, and the air, an infinitely open domain that he tries to tame.
This conquest began a century ago in a country of inventors and explorers called France. This century and the story of the conquest, past, present and future, can be recounted through the life of one man : Marcel Dassault. However, the conquest of the skies has to be seen from two angles to fully grasp the challenge. A conquest seen from the viewpoint of an Earthling for whom the contemplation of the sky is an uplifting experience and an overall and spiritual view, akin to the eye of the poet, as was the case of Saint-Exupéry.