Reborn From Ashes
Wildfire ash becomes ink, art, and a promise to replant Korea's forests, tied to AVATAR: Fire and Ash.
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AI Translation Summary
To mark the release of AVATAR: Fire and Ash, Disney and partners collected ten tons of burned deadwood from Korea's worst wildfires and turned it into "Ash Ink." The ink powered artworks and posters, and a public exhibition in Gwanghwamun Square let visitors stamp a pledge to replant the forest, with Disney donating a tree for every stamp.
Cultural Context
Gwanghwamun Square is Seoul's most symbolic public plaza, giving the exhibition maximum visibility. The campaign responds to the real 2025 wildfires in Andong, among the worst in Korea's history.
Entry Information
Summary
Life After Fire and Ash is a purpose-driven campaign launched with AVATAR: Fire and Ash to extend the film’s message of renewal into real-world forest restoration after Korea’s worst-ever wildfires. Using the film release as a platform, the campaign invited audiences to take part through action. Ten tons of burned deadwood were collected from the damaged site and transformed into Ash Ink. The ink was used to create artworks and to screen-print posters. Presented in a public exhibition in Seoul, visitors replanted a forest with Ash Ink stamps, each stamp committing one tree, donated by Disney. Thousands participated, raising funds for long-term restoration. The campaign shows how Disney can leverage its global influence to connect a film release with local forest recovery effort.
Strategy
Our idea was to use AVATAR's release as a platform to drive participation in forest recovery. By turning wildfire ash into ink, we aimed to make it a tool for participation. Ink for artworks, for printing posters and merch, for people’s drawings, and for a pledge to support forest restoration. To bring the idea to life, we planned a participatory exhibition. Visitors could take a simple action themselves using Ash Ink stamps as a personal promise to support reforestation. We expanded scale and reach by synchronising the exhibition with the square’s OOH network, turning the place into both a participation hub and an impactful launch moment. Throughout the exhibition experience, we connected the film’s message to a real-world challenge, and gave audiences a simple way to act on it.
Execution
• Ash Ink: We traveled to Andong, a region severely affected by recent wildfires, and collected 10 tons of burned wood from the forests and produced Ash Ink. • Creation: The Ash Ink was delivered to artists to become artworks inspired by the film's message of renewal. We ash-printed the official posters and also built a symbolic installation from the deadwood collected, designed as a visible landmark for the exhibition and responsive to visitor’s participation. • Exhibition: The exhibition was built as a guided journey. Visitors moved through the campaign film and an Ash Ink-making section, followed by displays of artworks and ash-printed posters. The route ended at a forest wall, where visitors added an ash tree stamp as a commitment for forest recovery.
Results
• 2-week outdoor exhibition in Gwanghwamun Square • 24K visitors • 4.9M impressions across online and offline • Restoration fund raised equivalent to planting 3K trees • 10 metric tons of wildfire-damaged deadwood collected • Estimated 20 years accelerated forest recovery within the specific area where burned trees were removed • Dead-tree removal can increase pine seedling density by up to 349% in treated areas. • 108 pieces of media coverage • Strong positive sentiment from visitors and on social media