As nations began a second week of negotiations Monday for a global accord to end plastic pollution, an artist heaped piles of plastic waste onto a large sculpture in front of the United Nations office. Delegates to the U.N. talks about ending plastic pollution pass by the sculpture daily in a reminder of their responsibility to solve the plastic pollution crisis. The talks are scheduled to conclude Thursday.

Benjamin Von Wong, a Canadian artist and activist, designed the nearly 6 meter (18 foot) sculpture called the “Thinker’s Burden” and built it with a team. It’s his take on the famous sculpture by Auguste Rodin, “The Thinker” in Paris. There is a male figure in deep thought, like Rodin depicted. But instead of sitting atop a rock, Von Wong’s figure sits atop Mother Earth while cradling a baby and clutching plastic bottles. A strand of DNA intertwines them to highlight the health impacts of plastic pollution.

With the help of volunteers, Von Wong is adding plastic waste to the installation over the course of the negotiations to reflect the growing cost of inaction. He climbed a ladder Monday to reach the top of the sculpture and weave plastic bottles through the DNA. He put a plastic toy car in front.

“By the end of this week, we should have a sculpture almost completely drowned in plastics, however, the hope is, a strong and ambitious plastics treaty means that we can solve this problem once and for all,” he said, regarding the UN talks to reduce plastic pollution.

The Minderoo Foundation, an Australian philanthropic organization, was the largest donor for the project. Local nonprofits and community groups collected the plastic trash.

Standing by the sculpture, Maria Ivanova, an expert in international environmental governance, said it “wakes you up.” Ivanova is the co-director of the Plastics Center at Northeastern University in Boston.

“People don’t change their minds because of facts. They do because of feelings,” she said. “And this is where I think art is absolutely critical to shift the needle on policy.”

Read the full article about the "Thinker’s Burden" sculpture by Jennifer McDermott at PBS.