Six giant bronze figures could soon greet Camberwell residents on their way to Burgess Park.
Next month, Southwark Council will decide whether to allow renowned local artist Sokari Douglas-Camp to erect her striking sculptures on a patch of land on Bowyer Place.
The artwork, called ‘All The World Is Now Richer’, commemorates the abolition of slavery and was once displayed in the House of Commons.
Celebrities and local residents are among those backing the figures, which are between 6ft 2 and 7ft 1.
In online comments, people have described them as a ‘handsome’ and a ‘really exciting’ use of ugly, vacant land.
Former BBC presenter and Labour peer Joan Bakewell said it was a “piece worthy of London”.
Dr Marion Wallace, a renowned historian of Africa, said Burgess Park would be ‘very lucky’ to have the pieces on its doorstep.
Each statue represents a different character including a plantation man, a Caribbean domestic woman and a business man.
The statues would be placed on long bases made from terrazzo and stainless steel each with sentences written across them.
The phrases, inspired by the words of liberated ex-slave William Prescott, include ‘We survived’ and ‘We were bought sold and used’.
The bases would be anti-slip meaning the public could walk and skate freely over them.
According to documents submitted by the artists, the sculptures are ‘smooth, ‘not easy to climb’ and ‘without sharp edges’.
One comment wrote: ‘What an incredible opportunity to have such a poignant sculpture, by an internationally renowned artist, placed on a piece of unused land in Camberwell.’
Another said: ‘This is a work of art that lifts and honours the local community. It gives meaning to the future and and defines the past.’
Of the 108 responses the proposals received, 82 were positive.
Sokari Douglas Camp, who has a studio in Walworth, is a prominent British sculptor and has been featured in the British Museum and Victoria & Albert Museum.
She also designed ‘Swordfish Masquerade’ a huge statue outside the Hanover Park residential block in Peckham.
Southwark Council aims to make decision on whether to approve the statue on May 19.