A young Hampstead artist has erected a huge golden arrow on top of a scaffolded chimney in the heart of the village as part of her vision for contemporary art.

The arrow, which spans 10 metres and is on a tower 40 metres high, was displayed on the old New End Hospital.

Art-spotters had to be quick because the installation was only there for two days, on Monday and Tuesday last week.

Lucy Joyce, from Gainsborough Gardens, has a degree in fine art from the Chelsea College of Art and Design and is currently studying for a Masters in sculpture at the Royal College of Art.

She chose the site because she walks past it every day and is always looking for new locations.

Her main interest is in “negotiating public spaces, and making some kind of interruption to the everyday”.

She said: “Lots of people noticed it and were asking questions.

“What I like about it is that its a passing thing, a one second thing for someone walking by.”

She has previously erected artwork in construction sites and on a tower in Berlin.