While the aptly named Pont-Neuf, the oldest bridge in Paris, has stood firmly on its piers for more than four centuries, the monumental installation it was to host has proved far more fragile.
Four days before the inauguration of "La Caverne" by artist JR, the project's partners announced on Tuesday that the event would be postponed after the artwork was damaged by severe weather.
Photos and videos posted on social media show a torn canvas revealing its inflatable support structure. The exact extent of the damage has yet to be determined.
“The decision has been taken to postpone the opening of the work to a date after 6 June, which will be set in light of the findings of the condition report”, said a joint statement from Atelier JR, the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation and the Amicale des Ponts de Paris, sent to Euronews. The signatories added that a technical assessment is currently under way.
"A sensory experience"
As a tribute to Christo and Jeanne-Claude, who wrapped the Pont-Neuf in fabric in 1985, JR's work, which has towered over the Seine for several days, was meant to be freely accessible round the clock until 28 June.
Like the wrapped Pont-Neuf, "La Caverne" is funded entirely by private sponsorship, as JR's team is keen to point out.
This imposing rocky trompe-l'œil, which has prompted mixed reactions, promises to “engage all the senses”, featuring a soundscape devised by Thomas Bangalter, former member of Daft Punk, as well as an olfactory experience created by perfume house Odore Scola in order “to imbue an essential component of this installation, the air, with narrative and emotional power”.
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