Artist Turns Famed Paris Bridge Into a 'Cave'

The oldest bridge in Paris began to vanish this week as the artist JR—who is known as the "French Banksy"—started inflating a giant "cave" over the Pont Neuf. The monumental, rocky illusion is swallowing the 17th-century landmark, which has carried Parisians across the Seine for more than 400 years, per the AP. By Thursday, it looked as if a prehistoric cliff had risen in the heart of the city.

The project, one of the most ambitious public artworks Paris has seen in decades, opens to the public on June 6. Visitors will be able to walk for free through a long, dark tunnel that lets in no daylight and where, according to JR, people "will lose track of time." It's been funded by the sale of JR's work and a handful of corporate partners. The artist is famous for pasting enormous photographs on buildings, walls, and rooftops around the world. This time, he wanted Parisians to do something unusual on their busiest bridge: stop.