A new permanent sculpture on London’s Canary Wharf critiquing plastic waste in the ocean has included material thought to be from the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, causing discomfort and discourse on the artwork.

S/ Gokan Shunichi, NNN London correspondent/ Items labeled Ishinomaki fish market can be seen in the sculpture made of ocean plastic waste and placed in London’s business district.

The surface of the art piece shows the characters for Ishinomaki and Kuji, both cities that were heavily affected by the 2011 quake and ensuing tsunami.

The sculpture was made using around five tons of trash from the ocean to alarm the use of plastic.

The piece has received criticism for including material that may have washed into the ocean from the devastating 2011 earthquake.

In response, the Canary Wharf said in an Instagram comment, “We apologise for any upset caused by the labeling of all items as waste or rubbish.”

Many, including people in Japan, have made vocal comments online regarding the how organizers labeled the sensitive material that brought back traumatic memories for the nation.

S/ Japanese studying in UK/ I think it’s difficult for people who don’t know the context of the disaster to notice this and understand it, but I hope that this will be an opportunity for people to realize that this perspective exists.

Canary Wharf organizers plan to amend the artwork signage to include information about the sensitive material so visitors understand the full context of the piece.