While the aptly named Pont-Neuf, the oldest bridge in Paris, has been resting solidly on its piers for more than four centuries, the monumental installation it was set to host has turned out to be far more fragile.
Four days before the inauguration of "La Caverne" by the artist JR, the project partners announced on Tuesday that the event would be postponed after the artwork was damaged by bad weather.
Photos and videos posted on social media show a torn canvas revealing its inflatable framework. The full 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 conclusions of the condition report," reads a joint statement from Atelier JR, the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation and the Amicale des Ponts de Paris, sent to Euronews. The signatories add that a technical assessment is currently under way.
"Sensory experience"
A tribute to Christo and Jeanne-Claude, who wrapped the Pont-Neuf in fabric in 1985, JR's work, which has been towering over the Seine for several days, was supposed to be freely accessible around the clock until 28 June.
In the same vein as the wrapped Pont-Neuf, "La Caverne" is funded entirely by private patronage, 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", with a soundscape created by Thomas Bangalter, former member of Daft Punk, and an olfactory experience designed by the perfumery house Odore Scola in order "to inject a narrative and emotional charge into an essential component of this installation: the air".
A press conference is scheduled for Thursday morning to outline the next steps for the project.
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