The exhibition

In all civilizations, abundance of mythical stories about fire is a vivid testimony to its importance in mankind history.
Bearing conflicting values, fire is deeply rooted in our collective psyche. We consider it as a friend when it implies warmth and friendliness, as well as a foe synonymous with violence and destruction.

The exhibition Fire is divided into three parts, taming, understanding and fighting:

Part 1, "Taming Fire", addresses empirical mastery of fire, starting with the myths about its origin and rites or ceremonies related to it. Then it discusses the domestication of fire, its contribution to humanity, production techniques, fire based crafts (glassmaking, ceramics…). Once tamed, the fire that brings warmth and light, gathers around the hearth, makes socialization possible and fuels creativity, imagination and beliefs,

"Understanding Fire" focuses on scientific and industrial issues. After a brief history of designing fire, combustion and flames are studied from a physical and chemical point of view. Featuring its omnipresence in furnaces, engines, power stations, this second part emphasizes the impact of fire in our thermo-industrial societies and the negative effects induced by pollutants and CO₂ emissions. Even invisible, fire remains nonetheless essential and present, with the damages produced on environment and health,

"Fighting Fires" deals with catastrophic fires and combustion gone completely out of control. Discover historical devastating fires, understand urban and forest fire propagations patterns. The 3rd part exhibits equipment, tools, techniques of fire safety, and pays homage to firefighters. It also explains safety actions and procedures to follow in the event of a fire. Make a difference, when facing a destructive fire and the danger of smoke, learn how to prevent, contain, protect and fight.

Powered by large-scale installations and a scenography fueled by the spectacular beauty of fire, the exhibition consists in illustrations, objects, audio recordings, videos, multimedia, fun yet pedagogical gears and equipment.