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During 2015, artist and activist Gustav Metzger launched one of his last major projects. Recognized for introducing self-destructive creations, Metzger had devoted his career to addressing global challenges from nuclear disarmament to vegetarianism. Via a concise video message, he made a plea for a global day of action to honor the environment.

“I, Gustav Metzger, am asking for your engagement in this international summons for a day of action to reflect on the environment on November 4th, 2015,” he announced, encouraging cultural workers to stand against the ongoing loss of species. “Our task is to remind people of the abundance and sophistication in nature … and by doing so art will enter domains that are fundamentally innovative.”

The Inception of Remember Nature

And so the environmental art day was born, a day when artists across the country created responses to the escalating planetary emergency. One of the curators, who worked closely with Metzger in his final years, notes his sense of urgency. “There was a great sense of urgency for him at the final chapter,” she says. “I urged him – don’t delay. Let’s not wait for sponsorship or for anyone to authorize this. Take action immediately.”

Ten Years On

Ten years later, the project did not incited the mass movement across the arts that Metzger had hoped for, but organizers feel its influence can still be seen in campaigns like Culture Declares and Extinction Rebellion, as well as in how artists approach the sustainability of their methods. For this purpose she is restaging it to celebrate its ten-year mark. Part of the featured creators taking part currently are Cornelia Parker and Anya Gallaccio. All participants have designed posters, recorded calls to action, and developed pieces set to be unveiled on November 4, 2025.

Planting Hope

When speaking to Anya Gallaccio, she is on site in Kent, cultivating apple trees that will create a circular grove. Working with schoolchildren, her project is half artwork and part learning experience. According to her, the planning and planting sessions have already incorporated learning about maths (spacing the distances between trees), genetics (studying the hereditary traits), and origins (tracing the stories of how different apples came to the UK).

A lot of the apples were selected because they’ve got amusing labels such as the Duck’s Bill. We have one apple that ‘bleeds’ red juice

“Several the apples were chosen because they’ve got amusing labels such as the other unusual varieties,” says Gallaccio. “We have one apple that produces red juice. Every one carries histories attached. The ancient variety was brought over by the Romans. The local breed is the apple that fell from a tree and landed on Isaac Newton’s head.”

Gallaccio wanted the children to be more actively aware of the natural world and the influence we have over it. “In their experience, apples were just things you buy from a supermarket, so I was encouraging them, when they go shopping, to check the packaging and see the variety and their origin. Ideally it reads Kent!”

Creative Initiatives Throughout Britain

In London, a participant’s Book of Loss will include attendees looking through an art institution on a quest to find the seven major glaciers that have been vanished in modern times. Each glacier will be depicted on the gallery’s windows and walls using ultraviolet markers. When located, a bell will ring and a reading will be held to remember that particular glacier.

Meanwhile, up in a northern town, a creative will be hosting a free exhibition about our alienation from the environment, as well as organizing a community dinner, cooked from regional food. Further north, Uta Kögelsberger is broadcasting her Some Kind of Love / Forest Choir, in which regional performers undertake a task to use music to heal flora in a local park.

Youth Perspectives

Similar to other artists, a featured creator will be working with schoolchildren – on the day itself she is aiming to cover a cultural venue in children’s artwork that express their aspirations and concerns for the tomorrow. “Children’s words and images are compelling because they’re not as trammelled as mature perspectives,” she says in her call to action video. “What children have to offer to the world is something truly special and perhaps it can inspire a sense of responsibility from everyone. Kids are unbiased. They have concerns for tomorrow. But this shouldn’t be about anxiety – it should be about positivity and making sure that they get a future.”

Memorials and Memory

A participant’s work also resonates for children. As a former drag queen, his avian project involves illustrating avians and then embodying them – and for Remember Nature day he is aiming to represent a local symbol. He is also staging a walking tour of the city, visiting various sites that have been part of his ongoing series over the last two decades. That ongoing series commenced following he endured three incidents of homophobic abuse on a one occasion. In response, Harfleet decided to sow a flower at the site of each occurrence and photograph it – the project has since grown to incorporate experiences experienced by other people across the world. “I place the plants there but they fade quickly,” says Harfleet. “Reportedly birds consume them, so they’re a ephemeral memorial.”

The artist selected the bloom not just for the obvious reason – it has long been a term of homophobic abuse – but also because its name derives from the French verb, penser, to think. “It was linked to a man who is contemplative, and that, of course, is a terrible thing,” he says.

The project on Remember Nature day is to sow flowers at new locations and also refresh the memorials in places he has previously memorialised, all the while discussing with those on the walking tour about the occurrences and his personal experiences. “I’ve recorded quite a few following earlier installations,” he says with regret.

Progressing Optimistically

The artist wishes his work – and