Sawt Falasteen - 'French Banksy' and Daft Punk star turn Paris bridge into Alpine cave

JR, dubbed the "French Banksy" after the British street artist, has wrapped the Pont Neuf in fabric painted white, grey and black to create the impression of a rocky grotto.

The creation, 120 metres (390 feet) long, 20 metres wide and varying in height from 12 to 18 metres, drew curious onlookers to the banks of the Seine on a sunny spring morning.

"It really stands out," 37-year-old Parisian Stephanie Da Cruz told AFP.

"You imagine mountains, the Alps or something like that, and contrasts so strongly with the architecture of Paris, that it's just very surprising."

JR, who began his career as a street Paris graffiti tagger and has become one of the best known figures on the French art scene, created the work as a tribute to the duo Christo and Jeanne-Claude.

They wrapped the Pont Neuf in fabric in 1985, drawing millions of visitors, as well as the Arc de Triomphe in 2021.

"It's incredible," passer-by Caroline Masson told AFP.

"People used to tell me about Christo's project on Pont Neuf, so I never imagined I'd see as an adult the wrapping of the Pont Neuf by JR... it's spectacular!"

- Mixing the wild and the elegant -

From June 6 to 28, visitors will be able to explore inside the new work, with electro artist Thomas Bangalter -- one half of legendary French dance act Daft Punk -- providing the soundtrack.

JR said he wanted to "juxtapose the rough and the wild with the refined elegance of Paris, creating a dialogue between the past and the present.

"There is also a kind of unknown, of fear, of entering into a cave -- and at the same time, a fascination," he told AFP.

Organisers are expecting to draw big crowds, particularly foreign tourists, with some of the city's major attractions including Notre Dame cathedral just a stone's throw away.

"It's wonderful, isn't it? The way Paris plays with the city is extraordinary, in my opinion," Canadian tourist Peter Stuart said.

The work, titled "La Caverne" (The Cave) in French, is the latest in a series of large-scale public art pieces to grace Paris, and even appeared to be winning round the sceptics.

"I'm not a fan of contemporary art. I love Paris as it is, beautiful," tourist Vince, 75, from New York, told AFP.

"But I must admit it's fascinating. When I see it like that, I like it... it's like a little bit of the Alps in Paris."

Q.Najjar--SF-PST