Giant dystopian whipped cream sculpture unveiled in London

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A nine-tonne sculpture of a giant swirl of whipped cream with a cherry on top, as well as a fly and a drone, was unveiled on Thursday as the 13th Fourth Plinth commission at Trafalgar Square in London.

The dystopian artwork, entitled "The End," was created by British artist Heather Phillipson at the end of 2016.

"For me, 2016 was quite an important political moment in the UK and other parts of the world," said Phillipson, noting that the year observed Brexit just happen and "there were rumblings in America of Trump getting elected."

Artist Heather Phillipson unveils her artwork entitled "The End" on Trafalgar Square's Fourth Plinth, in London, July 30, 2020. /CFP

"And I felt like something was on the verge of implosion, entropy, collapse."

The creation is the latest in a series of contemporary artworks to be displayed on the plinth over the past two decades.

"Cream is this slightly impossible substance when wet, it's full of air so it means it's always on the verge of collapse, which is a state I felt we were in," the artist said, adding that some of those unsettling feelings had been heightened by recent events such as the coronavirus pandemic.

An artwork entitled "The End" at Trafalgar Square in London. /CFP

More than nine meters high, "The End" is the tallest work to date to be displayed on the plinth.

Phillipson said she wanted the cherry's stalk to be very tall to rival Nelson's Column, the centerpiece of the square.

Culture is 'our DNA'

An artwork entitled "The End" by Heather Phillipson is unveiled on Trafalgar Square's Fourth Plinth. /CFP

The unveiling of the work was delayed by four months due to the impact of the coronavirus outbreak. As the pandemic wanes, many museums and galleries in London started to reopen after COVID-19 shutdowns.

"Culture is so important to our city, it's our DNA," said Justine Simons, Deputy Mayor of London for Culture, adding that "Before the pandemic it was worth 58 billion pounds to the economy and one in every six jobs here is a creative job."

Justine Simons, Deputy Mayor for Culture and Creative Industries, Artist, Heather Phillipson and Ekow Eshun, Chair of the Forth Plinth Commissioning Group, unveil the artwork. /CFP

"So it is really important that we all get behind culture and today this is a good symbolic, iconic moment for London as we unveil the 13th Fourth Plinth."

Previously, the plinth in the northwest corner of the square in central London lay empty for more than 150 years after funds ran out to erect an equestrian statue as originally planned.

The artwork will remain in show until the spring of 2022.

(With input from agencies; Video edited by Hong Yaobin)