Called ‘We Come in Peace’, the six-metre-high artwork was commissioned in 2009 by Rokeby Southern for the mixed-use development at Antelope Park in Thornhill.
Made from glass-reinforced plastic and steel, the sculpture features an illuminated LED ‘eye’ at its centre and was designed to be visible from the nearby trunk road.
Artistically, it draws inspiration from science fiction and the post-war British Geometry of Fear movement.
The artist, Dorset-based David Worthington, described it as being “as if out of War of the Worlds” – a sculpture that had landed in the area.
In recent weeks, a number of Southampton residents have taken to social media to ask what the sculpture is supposed to represent.
The sculpture was also designed to engage young people from the nearby estate.