Le Bruit des bottes, œuvre de Romain Weintzem

Built in the 1930s and later reconstructed after World War II, the Hermitage buildings fan out onto the Loire and the port, optimizing the structure’s space and orientation. For each building, the number of storeys increases as you descend towards the Loire: four to six storeys in the north, and five to six in the south.

Between these buildings, staircases and parks set the stage for the rocky outcrops of the Sillon de Bretagne. The steps were carved into the rock.
The five “courtyards” between the buildings are named after some of Nantes’ privateers: Jean de Crabosse, Julienne David, Commodore Guiné, Alexis Grassin, and Chevalier Thiercelin.

On one of these staircases, with its strangely monumental proportions, Weintzem has placed roughly thirty pairs of combat boots along the steps. A pair of clown shoes leads the procession. Although they’re clearly on the rise, the owners of the boots remain invisible and ghostly.

Le Bruit des bottes (“the sound of boots [on the ground]”) is a common expression in French to describe the rise of authoritarianism. This work evokes an escalation of violence, and marching on a warpath, where the group is led by a clown – a madman who uses his position to discipline the group towards a seemingly vague goal.

Using the burlesque representation of a military parade, Weintzem’s piece alerts us to the fragile state of our democracies and the rise of extremism through this powerful and political work.