JR and the Antoine Alléno Association unveil an artistic performance in front of the Eiffel Tower

This Saturday, September 13, 2025, 1,330 portraits of relatives of road accident victims were pasted onto the pavement of the Pont d'Iéna in Paris's 7th arrondissement. This artistic performance by the Antoine Alléno Association and artist JR pays tribute to co-victims.

The Antoine Alléno Association and artist JR join forces for a striking artistic performance this Saturday, September 13, on the Pont d'Iéna. This ephemeral work of art, entitled"Alive", transforms the 178-meter-long Parisian bridge into an exceptional place of remembrance, where 1,330 portraits of the loved ones of road accident victims are glued to the pavement before being torn down at the end of the day. This poignant initiative aims to make visible these families, too often forgotten by our society.

For over a year, the Antoine Alléno Association criss-crossed France to meet the relatives of road accident victims and collect these 1,330 portraits of co-victims. This is part of JR's Inside Out project, a worldwide artistic initiative that transforms portraits of anonymous people into monumental works of art pasted in public spaces. Since 2011, this participatory project has enabled over 360,000 people to share their stories around the world.

Michelin-starred chef Yannick Alléno, whose son Antoine was killed in May 2022, hit just off the Pont d'Iéna by a hit-and-run drunk driver, explains the importance of materializing this invisible pain. "What we wanted to symbolize with this work of art is already the quantity, it's impressive. I believe that the immensity of the evil, of the pain is there, before our eyes", he confides. This performance has a particular resonance in the symbolic location, at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, where the family tragedy occurred.

The ephemeral nature of the work makes it all the more moving. On Sunday, following a ceremony on the Pont d'Iéna, all the portraits will be torn down "to symbolize the erasure of the collective memory of these kids and their families". This programmed destruction is a powerful illustration of the abandonment felt by the victims' loved ones, these co-victims whom no one ever talks about.

Artist JR, world-renowned for his giant photographic collages, brings his artistic signature to the cause. "It's this humanity of seeing families who have never met, who are going through the same pain and who are meeting here today. The bridge will reopen and people will walk again, but we'll never forget that at some point these images were pasted there," the artist projects. His Inside Out project, launched at a TED conference in 2011, has already led to striking actions at the Pantheon, on the façade of the Opéra Garnier and in conflict zones around the world.

How widespread is the problem of road violence among young people?

The figures are alarming. As Yannick Alléno reminds us: "There are 700 people under the age of 24 who take to the roads every year. (...) This year, 81 kids took to the roads in July". Road deaths arethe leading cause of death among young adults in France, affecting not only the direct victims but also their entire families.

How does this performance fit in with the association's activities?

The Antoine Alléno Association, created after the tragic death of Antoine Alléno on May 8, 2022, has a mission to act simultaneously in three areas: preventing acts of violence against young people, helping the families of victims under the age of 25, and raising public awareness. This artistic performance fits in perfectly with this approach to raising awareness and supporting bereaved families.

The association's fight has already borne fruit with the creation of the offence of road homicide, published in the Journal Officiel on July 10. This new offence, punishable by 10 years' imprisonment and a fine of 150,000 euros, finally recognizes the seriousness of deliberately dangerous driving behavior.

When is the tribute ceremony?

The day closes with an exceptional tribute ceremony at 9pm. The ceremony will take place in the presence of a large number of Paris firefighters, with the Pont d'Iéna illuminated, the facilities lit up, the flashing beacons activated, the firefighters silently ascending and the Eiffel Tower glittering. A moment of remembrance that honors both the victims and the first responders, the firefighters and gendarmes who deal with these tragedies on a daily basis.

This "Alive" performance resonates like a silent cry launched from the Pont d'Iéna, a privileged witness to Parisian life. It reminds us that behind every road accident lies a shattered family, loved ones who must continue to live with this absence. By temporarily transforming this passageway into an ephemeral art gallery, JR and the Association Antoine Alléno offer these invisible people a moment of visibility, a space for collective memory in one of Paris's most beautiful vistas.

For more information on this initiative: alive@associationantoinealleno.fr

Reminder: the "Alive" artistic performance can be seen from 8 a.m. on the Pont d'Iéna (Paris 7e), metro Bir-Hakeim or Trocadéro. Tribute ceremony at 9pm. Free admission. Further information on associationantoinealleno.fr and on JR's Inside Out project.