As negotiations entered their second week Monday for a global agreement to tackle plastic pollution, an eye-catching sculpture made of plastic waste was unveiled in front of the United Nations office, reminding delegates of their urgent responsibility.
The sculpture, titled “Thinker’s Burden,” was created by Canadian artist and activist Benjamin Von Wong along with his team. Inspired by Auguste Rodin’s famous “The Thinker,” the nearly 6-meter tall artwork features a male figure sitting atop the Earth, holding a child and clutching plastic bottles. A DNA strand entwines the figures, symbolizing the harmful impact of plastic pollution on health.
Throughout the talks, volunteers have been adding plastic waste to the installation to illustrate the growing environmental cost of delay. On Monday, Von Wong climbed a ladder to weave plastic bottles through the DNA strand and placed a plastic toy car at the base.
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