London's Public Art Is Becoming Increasingly Surreal

Much like its mutant skyline ("Can of Ham," anyone?), London's public art is becoming increasingly surreal. There have been chicken feet poking out of sewer grates, two horses pulling a two horse-power car, a levitating building, and a death-metal band squeezed into a little box—and all this was in 2014.

Well, the city's arts scene is off to a promisingly ridiculous 2015, to judge from a new installation at the Southbank Centre called "Pick Yourself Up & Pull Yourself Together." A section of the pavement is ripped up and curling over like a cresting wave; hanging from its underside is an upturned car. If this were Looney Tunes, there'd be a driver inside staring into the camera and shrugging—seconds before gravity is reestablished and the auto plunges to earth.