enter the cave of the pont neuf
Along the Seine in the center of Paris, JRLa Caverne du Pont Neuf opened after one delayed start due to weather beginning of this month. THE installation now covers ParisThe oldest bridge with a rocky, cavernous skin, transforming the familiar stone passageway into a temporary passageway shaped by fabric, air, sound, scent and augmented reality.
The work opened to the public on June 15 will remain accessible until June 28 from Place du Pont Neuf Christo et Jeanne-Claude. Designed as JR’s tribute to Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s 1985 work The Pont Neuf Wrapped, the installation is free to enter, open twenty-four hours a day and visible from the docks, nearby bridges, passing boats and the upper banks of the Seine.
images © Éléa Jeanne Schmitter (unless otherwise stated)
a temporary cave above the oldest bridge in Paris
Across the bridge, La Caverne du Pont Neuf draws from the quarries that supplied the limestone used in Paris’ historic architecture. Completed in 1607, the Pont Neuf was the city’s first bridge built entirely of Lutetian limestone, and JR’s intervention turns this material history inside out, wrapping the structure in an image of its own geological origins.
The opening of the facility was overdue after strong winds and hail struck on June 2, tearing away sections of the inflatable envelope while work was still underway. Artist JR and his team repaired the damage in plain sight and then chose to highlight the repair seams in black, leaving the incident visible as part of the bridge project’s short life.
JR’s La Caverne du Pont Neuf is now open to the public in Paris
air becomes the main structure
La Caverne du Pont Neuf covers 2,400 square meters and stretches 120 meters long and 20 meters wide, with high points ranging from 12 to 18 meters. Its form is based on an inflatable double-wall construction with permanent ventilation, using lightly compressed air to fill 80 structural arches under printed fabric.
The technical system combines an external support structure, an internal printed tunnel that is held by suction and an external printed envelope that drops towards the base of the bridge piers. In total, the installation uses 18,900 square meters of fabric and 20,000 cubic meters of air, while the ballast is limited to 130 tons distributed along the bridge.
the temporary installation turns the city’s oldest bridge into a cave
inside the crossing
Inside the inflated volume, visitors pass through a fabric tunnel that gives the bridge a second interior. The lightweight material, weighing 160 grams per square metre, is sewn into shaped surfaces and held in place by suction, allowing the space to float within the larger structure while metal bridges support safety requirements.
Sound adds another layer to the passage through a collaboration with Thomas Bangalter, formerly of Daft Punk, who composed an electro-acoustic ambience for the installation. His contribution acts as a mineral-like texture around the body, shaping the experience through resonance rather than a conventional musical score.
the project pays homage to Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s 1985 work, The Pont Neuf Wrapped
Augmented reality and flavor shape the ride
JR also worked with Snap Inc.’s AR Studio Paris. in Echoes, an augmented reality experience available on mobile devices and through Spectacles. Inspired by Étienne-Jules Marey’s time-lapse photography, the digital layer introduces moving traces of bodies, animals, light and sound around the bridge, allowing visitors to activate another reading of the work as they cross.
For the first time in JR’s practice, perfume also becomes part of the installation. Developed with Sarah Bouasse and perfume house Odore Scola, two symphonies spill over into different areas of La Caverne, adding an atmospheric layer related to geology, provenance and the air moving through the structure.
the rock figure is made of printed fabric and double-walled inflatable construction
after the bridge
Alongside the Pont Neuf installation, JR presents Les esquisses de La Caverne at Galerie Perrotin’s Marais space until July 25. The exhibition brings together preparatory works made through photography, drawing, collage and crumpled zinc sheets salvaged from the roofs of Paris, extending the project’s material research into the gallery.
La Caverne du Pont Neuf arrives four decades after Christo and Jeanne-Claude wrapped the same bridge, yet its temporary architecture speaks to a different set of circumstances. Air, printed fabric, repair seams, digital overlays and perfume transform the passage into a multi-layered encounter with Paris, where the stone history of the city and the fragile mechanics of temporary construction meet over the Seine.
