More than 2,000 people braved the wind and rain on the seafront at Brighton, England, on Saturday to form an image of King Canute designed by Radiohead lead-singer Thom Yorke. The public art display was designed to send a climate warning to political leaders in the run-up to the UN Climate Talks in Cancun.

Yorke explained, “The plan is to make images visible from the skies to remind those in Cancun that we can't keep putting this off.”

The image formed on the beaches of Brighton-Hove was designed by Yorke and his long-time collaborator Stanley Donwood. The picture also appeared on the cover of Yorke’s album Eraser. Yorke helped promote the event on Radiohead’s website and four million person strong Facebook page.

According to legend, King Canute set his throne by the sea shore and commanded the tide to halt, only to be soaked by the ocean’s waves. Just as Canute realized his own hubris, world leaders today must realize the dangers of ignoring climate change and rise to solving the challenge.