Presentation

From 12 October 2017 to 28 January 2018, the Musée de l’Armée is presenting a pioneering new exhibition tackling an original subject. Visitors are invited to see life through the eyes of a soldier as they come into direct contact with the ordinary and extraordinary objects soldiers use in their everyday activities during a campaign, from Antiquity to the 21^st century.

When we think of soldiers on active duty, we tend to focus on combat, the most dramatic aspect of their lives. However, despite its intensity, combat only represents a minute part of soldiers’ daily routine, and their time is mostly spent training, moving, setting up and fitting out their positions, and communicating, as well as keeping their spirits up and staving off boredom. Today’s soldiers, just like their predecessors across the centuries, have to find a way to eat, get their shoes on, differentiate themselves from the enemy and protect themselves from their attacks while loaded down with weapons and ammunition. It has also always been important to soldiers to feel a sense of belonging to the group of men and women exercising the same profession – this is the role played by discipline, uniforms, rewards, sacred rituals and shared beliefs – without forgetting everything that links them to their families, memories and convictions.

The exhibition begins with a spectacular chronological gallery that presents over 20 figures of soldiers ‘from Ancient Rome to the present day’, dressed, equipped and accompanied by the animals and vehicles they use for transporting themselves and their equipment. These significant and recognizable characters represent milestones in a history marked with changes and with constants, the most important being the combatant himself, body and mind.
The exhibition begins with a spectacular chronological gallery that presents over 20 figures of soldiers ‘from Ancient Rome to the present day’, dressed, equipped and accompanied by the animals and vehicles they use for transporting themselves and their equipment. These significant and recognizable characters represent milestones in a history marked with changes and with constants, the most important being the combatant himself, body and mind.

They are followed by a series of themed displays tracing the different moments of a soldier’s day, and showing the objects soldiers have used in different eras and civilisations to feed themselves, find shelter, rest, stay in contact with their companions, treat health problems and cope with difficult conditions. Clothes, tents, mess tins, food rations, medicines and various tools are all here, varying according to locations and climates, ranging from urban contexts and deserts to tropical countries and mountainous landscapes. All the equipment is designed to help them accomplish their missions, survive and be relatively comfortable in the field. Some of them illustrate the logistical support provided to regular troops and the very different forms of organisation that confront each other in what is now called asymmetric warfare. This sheds new light on the conditions governing contemporary conflicts covered by the media.

The Life of a Soldier also delves into the universal condition of combatants, using objects from their daily lives and their material culture to reveal the nature of their commitment, the tensions and traumas they are exposed to as they risk injury and death. The exhibition visit includes an exploration of the relationship between soldiers and the institutions that, with more or less solicitude depending on time and place, treat their wounds, both physical and psychological, take care of their remains, pay tribute to them and keep the memory of their sacrifice alive. The exhibition ends with a presentation of the Institution Nationale des Invalides’ activities and the role played by the main courtyard at the Hôtel des Invalides, where ceremonies paying tribute to soldiers killed overseas are held.

Over 300 items, mostly from the Musée de l’Armée and including some recent acquisitions, are presented during the visit. The contemporary dimension of warfare is highlighted by in-depth photographic series, produced during on-the-ground operations and at rehabilitation centres. In addition, a range of multimedia installations replace the ‘missing’ objects, helping visitors better understand the form and function of the exhibited pieces and how they are used, as well as showing the place of humans in a group and in time and space. The themes covered in this way include System D, the reuse and adaptation of objects by their users, military fashion and its influence on civilian fashion, the art of camouflage, and mass logistics.