Ap Verheggen created these five-metre-long scuptures to draw attention to climate change. (coolemotion.org)

A Dutch sculptor hopes ocean currents and winds will carry his work southward from the Arctic to Newfoundland and Labrador to raise awareness about climate change.

Ap Verheggen created two five-metre-long sculptures depicting an Inuk driving a dogsled team with a long whip. The metal sculptures were attached in March to an iceberg near Greenland, in the expectation that the iceberg would drift toward Canada this spring.

Verheggen, whose project is supported by the World Wildlife Fund, said he chose to represent an Inuit dog team because the project is intended to draw attention to how climate change forces cultures to adapt to new circumstances.

'Climate change is culture change'

"Climate change is culture change," said Verheggen. "Therefore we placed two silhouettes of dogsled riders on an iceberg, and now we show the world that nature is in charge."

Verheggen said he was inspired by the culture of Uummannaq, an Inuit village on an island off western Greenland, near where the sculptures were installed.

Uummannaq is famous for dogsledding, but now, with shorter winters and less freezing of the water, the local Inuit are increasingly unable to take part in this and other traditional pursuits, including fishing and hunting.

Verheggen hopes the art installation will make it all the way to Newfoundland before the iceberg melts and the sculptures sink. WWF said it intends to salvage the artwork.

Cameras have been placed on the pieces that feed footage to a website — coolemotion.org — where online users can track the iceberg.

Eight other sculptures are planned for the Arctic over the next five years, with some made of biodegradable materials.