Stalactites, the sound of water dripping onto rock... in the heart of Paris, visitors can now wander through a cave without ever going underground.
Just a stone’s throw from Notre-Dame, the French artist JR, known for his XXL photo collages, has “wrapped” the Pont Neuf to create a "Cavern". (source in French)
The soundscape was created by electronic composer Thomas Bangalter, former member of the duo Daft Punk. The structure, 120 m long, 20 m wide and between 12 and 18 m high, covers the entire bridge. The aim is to make the city disappear and transport passers-by far from the capital.
"It is a truly total immersion: the sound, the subdued light and this feeling of being shut in, yet somehow still a certain freedom." says Marie-Christine, who came especially to see JR’s work. For Sébastien Depond, it is the visuals that make the difference: "You feel as if you can see and even touch the stalactites."
An artwork to walk through
The cave can only be explored by foot and is open seven days a week, 24 hours a day. It sits on one of Paris’s main pedestrian routes, between the Samaritaine department store and the Hôtel de la Monnaie, just a short walk from Notre-Dame Cathedral.
"We were just passing by and we thought, ‘Oh, that looks interesting,’" says Fiona, a German tourist. "I had seen a few videos on social media, but we hadn’t come especially for it. It was really interesting to walk through this space and remember, ‘Oh yes, I’m walking on a bridge.’"
Back in 1985 the Pont Neuf had already been wrapped, in fabric. The work by artist couple Christo and Jeanne-Claude, both now deceased, drew millions of visitors.
Gone with the wind
The Cavern was due to open on 6 June, however, the weather had other ideas. Powerful gusts combined with heavy showers four days before the launch left several large tears in the inflatable shell, forcing the opening to be postponed.
"In all my projects in public space over more than 25 years, I have always run into huge difficulties," JR told AFP on Monday. "It was often at the other end of the world, so people didn’t notice. Here it is in the heart of my city, of our city, so people were able to see the (reconstruction) worksite out in the open, right in the public square."
Ten days later, the cavern is finally accessible, this time with bright sunshine forecast. But JR is adamant: even if temperatures rise, it will not be a problem. "We carried out tests during the heatwave two weeks ago and the +Cavern+ was always 15°C cooler than outside. So it behaves like a real cave, or almost," he says.
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