Political advertising usually tries to persuade voters with speeches, testimonials and ominous music. 350 Action went with a melting governor. The climate advocacy organization teamed with Uncommon Creative Studio and m ss ng p eces for “DENIAL,” a life-size statue of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis designed to literally melt in the Tallahassee heat.
Unveiled this week in Florida’s capital, the sculpture was cast entirely from gallium, a metal that melts at about 85.6 degrees Fahrenheit. That is below Tallahassee’s typical summer high, so the message didn’t need a special effect. Once temperatures climbed, the statue began losing its form in front of onlookers.
Subtle, it is not.
But that is also why the idea works.
The installation arrives during midterm season and asks voters to reject candidates who oppose climate action. 350 Action is using the stunt to drive people toward a pledge supporting climate-conscious candidates, turning a political argument into an image that can travel far beyond the physical installation. Watch below:
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The work specifically references HB 1645, legislation DeSantis signed in 2024 that rewrote portions of Florida energy policy. Among other changes, the measure removed language in state policy calling for Florida to “recognize and address the potential of global climate change” and repealed several climate- and renewable-energy-related programs.
That legislative history gives the sculpture its central visual metaphor: a politician associated with rolling back climate language confronted by a material that cannot negotiate with temperature.
Or spin it.
“DENIAL” was created using 3D scanning and printing, then cast in gallium, giving the statue a photorealistic likeness. As the metal warmed, the figure gradually distorted and collapsed.
Josh Nussbaum directed the project for m ss ng p eces, with Uncommon/New York serving as agency.
“The climate crisis is one of the top issues facing our planet today,” said Candice Fortin, Campaign Manager at 350 Action, adding that the organization wants voters who care about climate policy to make themselves heard at the ballot box.
As an ad idea, the smartest part may be that almost no explanation is required.
You see DeSantis.
You see him melting.
You understand the argument.
That kind of visual economy is difficult to achieve in any campaign, political or otherwise. It also makes the stunt tailor-made for social media, where a few seconds of a dissolving statue can communicate more quickly than a 30-second policy spot ever could.
Whether viewers agree with the politics is another question.
But as a piece of creative designed to make people stop, watch and immediately understand its point, “DENIAL” knows exactly what it is doing.
And for once, the heat is doing most of the media buy.
Colin Costello is the West Coast Editor of Reel 360 News. Contact him at colin@reel360.com or follow him on LinkedIn.
