“Land: the Bearer of Memory” a project about humanitarian demining

The plusone social impact team joined an important social project on humanitarian demining — Demine Ukraine —  a topic that today determines the country’s renewal, yet often remains abstract and difficult to understand.

Our mission was to make it clear through a simple and tangible experience.

The installation consists of ten transparent cylinders filled with soil from regions affected by combat. Each cylinder holds a unique sound story: from sappers, farmers, and people returning to their lives on cleared territories. In this way, the land becomes a bearer of memory, a symbol of resilience and renewal. Beneath these cylinders, grass grows as a metaphor for life reclaiming its place.

The agency team collected this soil from all over Ukraine — it was provided by the military, sappers, and residents of various regions, including those that were never occupied but remained dangerous due to mining. This is the real soil from those territories.

“The installation gives a voice to what usually remains unheard. We moved away from cold statistics and the daunting language of danger, allowing the land itself to speak of its experiences. Not through fear, but through memory. Not through facts, but through feeling. The land here is not a background or a resource, but a living presence that remembered, waited, and has now returned to life. That is why this topic becomes closer, more tangible, almost personal, and understandable without translation to anyone, regardless of their country.”  notes Yevhen Posokhov, the agency’s creative director.

Later, an eleventh cylinder was added — an empty one. No grass grows beneath it. It represents the land that remains inaccessible, still waiting to be cleared of mines. It holds untold stories that sound different, through the noise of wind and the rustle of grass. This element reinforces the core idea of the project: there is still much work ahead, and so much land that is still waiting for life to return.

We didn’t stop at the installation. To reach nearly every demined area of Ukraine, we created a digital extension — a landing page with an interactive map. Visitors can select a region and hear personal stories of return, work, and the possibility of living without fear. Through this platform, we engaged an audience from 67 countries, with over 55,000 users visiting the site.

The campaign’s impact was further amplified by social media content that reached over 1.5 million people, helping to explain why humanitarian demining is vital for the country’s recovery.

The project was launched in January 2026 at the Ivan Franko National Academic Drama Theatre. Currently, the installation is on display at Gulliver Mall until April 30.

The campaign continues. The plusone social impact team is still developing the project and exploring new creative solutions to help even more people understand the role and importance of humanitarian demining.

The project is implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine, in close coordination with the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine and the national mine action platform Demine Ukraine.