Upside-down house is sure to turn heads in Blackfriars Road

Alex Chinneck's artwork Miner on the Moon (Upside Down House) has been created as part of the annual MERGE Festival in the Bankside area.

"By doing something very simple like re-presenting the everyday world but inverted, it hopefully encourages people to look again and cherish the world around us," the artist told the London SE1 website.

The building, which dates from 1780, is due to be demolished as part of the much-delayed 20 Blackfriars Road development of 23 and 42-storey towers.

The artwork has been created in the context of the rapidly changing Blackfriars Road and Bankside area.

"It's just a hive of construction activity," said Chinneck. "I'm not against architectural progress; I'm incredibly excited by it.

"But simultaneously I'm incredibly charmed by – and I find much pleasure in – the fabric of London's history.

"So whilst this is a contemporary artwork ... it also celebrates the architectural and aesthetic history of Southwark."

Planning permission for the redevelopment of the site was granted in 2009 but the scheme has remained stalled. Some nearby buildings – including the Paper Moon pub – have been demolished.

The artwork will remain in place for up to three years.

It follows earlier MERGE Festival installations such as the interactive House of Pain in Borough High Street.