Floating market of Covent Garden
This is the stunning optical illusion that appears to make a building at one of London's busiest tourist districts hover in mid-air.
To passers-by, it looks as though a section of the historic market building in Covent Garden has broken free from its foundations and is floating unaided, high above them.
But in reality, the display, which imitates the architecture in the area, is a complicated piece of technical wizardry which took months to create
Illusion: A woman looks up at the top section of the building in London's Covent Garden as it appears to hover unaided above its foundations, its walls seemingly ripped apart through the middle
Technical wizardry: A man walks under the top section of the building as it appears to hover unaided in mid-air while a woman examines the optical illusion from further away
The installation, named Take my Lightning but Don't steal my Thunder, was created by the artist Alex Chinneck (pictured), who is well known for creating optical illusions
To passers-by it seems as though the building has been torn off and is levitating with a large gap between the broken 'stone' walls, pillars and doors
The 12-metre-long sculpture has been made from a steel frame and a type of expanded polystyrene called filcor. It is understood to have taken 500 hours to paint using special digital techniques and was designed to resemble the existing architecture in the area
Although it is his most ambitious project to date, it is not the first piece of trickery Mr Chinneck has created. In the past, using similar techniques, he appeared to have turned a house upside down in Southwark, London
The illusion of it floating is created by using a heavy counterweight strong enough to support the top half of the structure as it hangs over the bottom half.
A steel beam is hidden inside the green market stall to the side of the building and this is attached to a steel platform and a 12-metre cantilever.
Although it is his most ambitious project to date, it is not the first piece of trickery Mr Chinneck has created. In the past, using similar techniques, he appeared to have turned a house upside down in Southwark, London.
The illusion of it floating is created by a four-tonne counterweight strong enough to support the top half of the structure as it hangs over the bottom half
A couple try to work out how the building appears to float in mid-air. Take my Lightning but Don't Steal my Thunder and will be on display in Covent Garden East Piazza until October 24
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