He’s known as the French Banksy—or simply JR. In June, he plans to transform the bustling Pont Neuf that dates to the 17th century into a walk-through “cave”—a temporary, monumental public artwork that 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’s possibly the “largest immersive installation ever made” and—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 told the AP at his studio in eastern Paris, wearing his trademark hat and shades. His project, the Pont Neuf Cavern, is to run June 6-28, spanning 120 yards long and over 17 yards tall.
The installation is a nod to a Paris legend: the late artistic duo Christo and Jeanne-Claude who in 1985 wrapped Pont Neuf—and its streetlamps—in a pale golden fabric. The project, which took years of negotiations with authorities, helped define the genre of monumental public art in modern cities across the world. To JR, the homage is both aesthetic and personal. “I had the chance to meet Christo along the years,” he said. “We had big respect for each other’s work.”
Still, JR—a pseudonym stemming from his first name, Jean-René—says his idea is about “bringing back mineral and nature” to the heart of Paris. From the outside, his installation will make Pont Neuf look “as if it has been overtaken by a prehistoric outcrop,” a structure visible along the banks of the Seine—a rocky mass that is “literally going to break the landscape,” he said. JR said there will be two main ways for people to experience his installation. From the outside, those heading to Pont Neuf will see the giant installation hundreds of yards away. And from the inside, once visitors enter the “cave” on Pont Neuf, they will be able to walk through a long tunnel-like structure, having a feeling of “total immersion,” he said.
A key collaborator on the project is Thomas Bangalter, a former member of French rock band Daft Punk who is creating the sound to accompany the installation”—”something you’ll only hear from the inside,” JR said. JR is best known for his large-scale art—enormous portraits pasted on buildings, border walls and rooftops. Because of his origins in graffiti and street art he has inevitably drawn comparison with Banksy, the elusive UK-based artist famous for his murals and activism.