In the book Navire amiral, French photographer Stéphane Lavoué reveals the unexpected connections between two worlds that seem distant but are united by shared gestures, traditions, and a common history. In the past, sailors would take over theaters during the winter, putting their mastery of knots, pulleys, and teamwork to use on stage. From these intersections, traditions were born that are still very much alive today.
In residence at the Comédie-Française since 2015, Stéphane Lavoué has explored behind the scenes of French public theater. Immersed in a windowless building, in the middle of the stage-bridge, or perched near the fly loft cluttered with cables and ropes, the photographer felt as though he were walking the gangways of a frigate and joining the crew of a nuclear submarine.
Driven by this intuition, Stéphane Lavoué then boarded three iconic vessels of the French Navy: the frigate Bretagne, the nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine Le Téméraire, and the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle. There, too, gestures, rituals, and collective organization give rise to a kind of theatricality in everyday life. By interweaving these two bodies of work, Navire amiral creates a unique visual universe, straddling the line between reality and imagination.
To accompany this collection, Éric Ruf—an honorary member of the Comédie-Française and a stage sailor—contributes short stories and grand adventures that dot the pages of the book, inspiring the flagship to chart other possible courses.