JR transforms the facade of the Paris Opera into the entrance to a cave

A new installation by JR has appeared on the facade of theOpéra Garnier in Paris: as part of the renovation of Palais Garnier, theOpéra National de Paris invited JR to transform the scaffolding of this temple of dance and music. Until September 25, 2023, the facade of the famous building will be the entrance to a large cavern that opens onto a passageway filled with rocks and light.

The installation, made with a black-and-white photo collage, is constructed as an anamorphosis: a true illusionistic game that gives the viewer the impression that there are other places within a rift, in this case the entrance to a cave.

JR’s trompe l’oeil project, Retour à la caverne, consists of two acts: the first is on view until September 25, the second is scheduled for November.

InAct I - L’entrée de la caverne, JR refers to the sets of Berlioz or Wagner’s epic operas and 19th century Romanticism. The installation aims to encourage the audience to return to a romanticism inspired by the natural world and invite the viewer to peek inside the cave, with a reference to Plato’s cave myth: a place where the exit leads to knowledge and understanding of the world.

For four nights (Sept. 9 - 10 - 16 - 17), moreover, the cavern will come alive with projections at Place de l’Opéra beginning at 9:15 p.m. and open to all for free.

Image: Trompe-l’oeil, Retour à la Caverne - Act I, Palais Garnier, Opéra de Paris ©JR

JR transforms the facade of the Paris Opera into the entrance to a cave

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