How ‘French Banksy’ JR plans to turn a famous Paris bridge into a massive cave
Known for his large-scale installations, JR will turn Paris’ Pont Neuf into a giant walk-through cave for his Pont Neuf Cavern project
He is known as the French Banksy – or simply JR. Now the artist, popular across France for his large-scale projects ranging from photographs to graffiti and street art, wants Parisians to do something unusual on the city’s arguably most famous bridge: stop.
In June, he plans to transform the bustling Pont Neuf, which dates back to the 17th century, into a walk-through “cave”. The temporary, monumental public artwork will cover the stone arches with a rocky illusion and invite visitors to cross the River Seine through a tunnel, complete with sound and digitally augmented reality.
He says it is possibly the “largest immersive installation ever made”, one that will be accessible around the clock and offer a “totally different approach” to the bridge.
“We’re about to leave something pretty incredible in the middle of Paris,” JR says at his studio in eastern Paris, wearing his trademark hat and shades.
His project, the Pont Neuf Cavern, runs from June 6 to 28. It will be 120 metres (394 feet) long and over 17 metres high.
The installation is a nod to two Paris legends: the late artistic duo Christo and Jeanne-Claude, who wrapped Pont Neuf and its street lights in a pale golden fabric in 1985. The project, which took years of negotiations with the authorities, helped define the genre of monumental public art in modern cities across the world.