A section of tarmac appears to have been peeled back from the surface of a car park at London's Southbank Centre, suspending a car upside down in artist Alex Chinneck's latest illusionary installation (+ slideshow).

Hackney-based Alex Chinneck sculpted a wave-shaped portion of road for his public installation titled Pick Yourself Up and Pull Yourself Together, unveiled earlier today.

A Vauxhall Corsa hangs flipped over 4.5 metres above the ground on a section of car park surface that looks like it is folded back on itself.

"Simple in concept yet structurally, technically and logistically complex, this project looks to deliver an experience that can be appreciated by different people for different reasons," said Chinneck.

Commissioned by Vauxhall, the illusion is created by hidden sections of steel that support the curved section of road and hold the car in place.

"While I am most excited by the hidden engineering and complex manipulation of concealed steel, others will simply enjoy the accessible theatricality of the illusion at play," Chinneck added.

Chinneck worked with structural engineers, steel benders, scenic artists, metal workers, carpenters, tarmac layers and road painters to create the artwork.

The team worked overnight to install the piece inside Hungerford Car Park on Belvedere Road.

This latest urban intervention follows his levitating section of Covent Garden market and inverted building in Southwark.

"I see sculpture as the physical reinterpretation of the material world around us and so by introducing fictional narratives into familiar scenarios, I try to make everyday situations as extraordinary as they can be," said Chinneck. "I choose to do this through illusions because I think there is something both optimistic and captivating about defying the realms of possibility."

The installation will remain in place until 25 February.