Timelapse Footage Shows Giant 'Cave' Inflated over Paris Bridge
- On Wednesday, May 20, 2026, French street artist JR began inflating 'The Pont Neuf Cave' over Paris's 17th-century landmark. The monumental rocky illusion is visible from the Eiffel Tower, ahead of its free public opening on June 6.
- This project pays tribute to Christo and Jeanne-Claude, who wrapped the same Pont Neuf in pale golden fabric 40 years ago. Constructed from 80 fabric arches filled with 20,000 cubic meters of air, the tunnel weighs only five tons.
- Visitors will traverse the 120-meter tunnel, designed as a nod to Plato's allegory of reality. Tech company Snap built an augmented-reality layer, while Thomas Bangalter, formerly of Daft Punk, composed a low, mineral hum.
- Running from June 6 to 28, the installation closes the Pont Neuf to traffic while coinciding with Paris Fashion Week and Nuit Blanche. The fabric will be recycled afterward, leaving no permanent scar on the historic bridge.
- The artist intends to bring 'mineral and nature' back to the city's heart, undressing the stone rather than covering it. Once the project concludes, the historic Pont Neuf will reappear exactly as it was, unchanged by the temporary installation.
91 Articles
91 Articles
The oldest bridge in Paris looks like it's been swallowed by a mountain these days. A French street artist is behind the unusual transformation of the famous Pont Neuf bridge over the Seine River, installing a huge artificial rock mass across the more than 400-year-old bridge.
The Pont Neuf, Paris's oldest bridge, has been transformed into a colossal work of art after renowned French street artist JR covered it with a giant inflatable structure, making it resemble an ancient cave.
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StuffArtist JR, the 'French Banksy' creates a 'cave' installation over Paris' oldest bridge
The oldest bridge in Paris has begun vanishing as JR — the artist known as the “French Banksy” — began inflating a giant “cave” over the Pont Neuf. By Thursday, the 17th-century landmark that has carried Parisians across the Seine…
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