The countdown has begun: artist JR has taken over the Pont Neuf.
By 6 June, Paris’s oldest bridge will have been transformed into a Cavern.
La Caverne du Pont Neuf (source in French)is the title of his monumental work: 120 metres long, 20 metres wide and up to 18 metres high.
For the artist, the idea is to “juxtapose the raw and the wild”, to establish “a dialogue between past and present”.
Some Parisians are thrilled, others rather less so.
“I like Paris when it’s alive, and this obviously looks set to be a very fine event,” enthuses a man in his thirties in front of the old bridge, currently under renovation.
“I’m a bit disappointed, in so far as it isn’t exactly making my heart race for now,” grumbles a Parisian woman.
La Caverne du Pont Neuf will be open to everyone, 24 hours a day, for three weeks.
It is an immersive work: JR has entrusted former Daft Punk member Thomas Bangalter with creating the soundscape that will fill the space.
JR’s monumental work comes forty years after that of Christo and Jeanne-Claude, the artist couple who wrapped the Pont Neuf in fabric.
And, as with the wrapped Pont Neuf, JR’s Cavern is a project funded entirely by private patronage.
La Caverne du Pont Neuf will be in place from 6 to 28 June.
This text was translated with the help of artificial intelligence. Report a problem : [feedback-articles-en@euronews.com].
