Images reveal tunnelled interior of JR's Paris bridge inflatable
A cavernous tunnel runs through La Caverne du Pont Neuf, an inflatable installation by French street artist JR that engulfs the historic Pont Neuf bridge in Paris.
The installation features a rocky pattern in shades of white, black and grey on its interior and exterior fabric surfaces, giving it a rugged, mountainous appearance.
Wrapping the Pont Neuf, the oldest bridge in Paris, the inflatable has opened to the public after its proposed launch was delayed when strong winds ripped its exterior.
Images reveal the cavernous tunnel inside La Caverne du Pont Neuf, with winding walls and a column-like element curving down from the rounded ceiling.
Thomas Bangalter created background music that plays inside the installation
Music by Thomas Bangalter – one-half of the music duo Daft Punk – plays in the background as visitors walk through the installation's interior.
Accompanying the soundtrack is a scent by journalist Sarah Bouasse, which was added to create an immersive sensory experience.
"The interior of La Caverne contrasts sharply with its exterior," said JR. "It's a tunnel, almost digestive, dark, and rather raw."
"The journey is winding, and Thomas's soundscape, along with Sarah's olfactory intervention, can make it disorienting, even unsettling."
"The explorers of La Caverne are embarking on a sensory adventure," he continued. "Its passage offers a blank canvas for projection, allowing for the creation of a narrative that eludes me."
Encompassing 2,400 square metres and rising to an 18-metre-tall peak, the installation's fabric exterior was secured by straps.
JR designed La Caverne du Pont Neuf as a homage to The Pont Neuf Wrapped – an iconic installation by artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude that saw the same 17th-century bridge dressed in fabric 41 years ago.
On show until 28 June, La Caverne du Pont Neuf was also designed to evoke quarries in the Paris Basin, where Paris stone was extracted to create Pont Neuf and other buildings in the city.
Another Parisian landmark to have been given a rocky transformation by JR is the Musée du Louvre, which he encircled with a giant optical illusion to make the glass pyramid appear to continue down into a crater.
The photography is by Éléa Jeanne Schmitter unless stated.
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