What did Nantes look like under the French Revolution? To understand this, three former Masters of History students from the University of Nantes invent audio creations on the Internet. They tell us episodes from the history of the city by recreating scenes from the time. It is “to play down History, to make it fun, and above all to take it out of the universities”, underlines Jérémie Van de Voorde, one of the members of the RêvoNantes association.
A guillotine at Place du Bouffay
The first sound capsule takes place at Place du Bouffay, in the heart of Nantes. Where a guillotine was enthroned during the Revolution. In this story it is about life under the Terror through the execution of four women, the Sisters of the Farm. “It was central for us to talk about this performance but also about its banality. Place du Bouffay there was a guillotine, but also a market and a lot of activities around.”
To better immerse themselves in the atmosphere of the time, listeners are encouraged to listen to the capsules from the place they describe. “Place du Bouffay has evolved a lot since the 18th century and therefore hearing the capsule also allows you to understand what the place might have looked like 200 years ago”, continues Jérémie Van de Voorde.
Nine months of work
The first part took nine months of work. Time for research, consultation of departmental archives, but also the construction of a scenario and the audio recording.
Every sound has its importance. The lapping of water to show that at the time the Loire passed where the current line 1 of the tram is located, to the sound of the guillotine. “It was a bit of DIY, we did with what we had, fun for the history buff. We slid a piece of wood along a stepladder to make you think of a falling blade! “
New capsules for summer
The members of the RêvoNantes association hope to deliver around twenty new audio creations on the French Revolution in Nantes. They will take listeners in particular to the castle of the Dukes of Brittany to talk about the explosion of the Spanish tower in 1800, to the Graslin theater to attend a performance of the time, or to the shipyards, where the catches of privateers were auctioned. The first sound clips should be released next summer.