Eiffel Tower Gets A Majestic ‘Canyon’ With Riveting 3D Illusion Installation
Artwork by JR. Image via Perrotin Gallery
For centuries, the Eiffel Tower’s appearance had remained largely unchanged. But there’s something different about tourists’ first love now… a new haircut, maybe?
Without the use of drills or hammers, the Esplanade of Trocadéro—the large area in front of the Parisian monument—has gotten a makeover, and it now looks vastly different. Last week, French street artist and photographer JR overhauled it with a massive 3D photo collage to give off the illusion that the Eiffel Tower is standing over a canyon.
The tower’s base is depicted to be held between two cliffs, while city life carries on beneath. The mesmerizing graffiti work was created with the trompe-l’œil technique, French for “deceive the eye,” which uses realistic imagery to manipulate perceptions and portray objects in 3D.
With the city slowly returning to normalcy—France reopened dining establishments and cultural venues last week—the visual feat is a welcome surprise to visitors, who have been posing on the optical illusion and pretending not to fall off the cliffs.
The installation is expected to stay up for a month, or “until the rain washes it away,” prompts the Perrotin gallery, which represents JR’s work.
[via Le Monde, NBC News, Reuters and France24, images via various sources]
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