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In 2015, visionary and advocate Gustav Metzger embarked on one of his ultimate major projects. Recognized for introducing art that erases itself, Metzger had devoted his career to confronting human struggles from peace activism to vegetarianism. In a brief video message, he made a plea for a international event to remember nature.

“I call upon you for your engagement in this global appeal for a day of action to remember nature on November 4th, 2015,” he announced, encouraging artists and creatives to stand against the ongoing loss of flora and fauna. “Our responsibility is to remind people of the abundance and sophistication in nature … and by doing so art will enter realms that are inherently creative.”

The Birth of Nature Remembrance

And so the environmental art day came into being, a day when cultural practitioners throughout Britain developed works to the escalating planetary emergency. An organizer, who cared for Metzger in his final years, remembers his feeling of immediacy. “I sensed a great sense of urgency for him at the final chapter,” she says. “I urged him – we must act now. Let’s not wait for funding or for anyone to approve this. Take action immediately.”

A Decade Later

A decade on, Remember Nature may not have sparked the widespread change across the arts that Metzger had hoped for, but Joelson believes its impact can still be seen in movements like artist-led declarations and environmental protests, as well as in how artists approach the eco-friendliness of their work. This is the reason she is restaging it to celebrate its decade milestone. Part of the 18 lead artists taking part currently are Yu-Chen Wang and Anya Gallaccio. Each has produced imagery, made video appeals, and produced installations set to be presented on November 4, 2025.

Planting Hope

When speaking to the artist, she is out in a field in the countryside, assisting with planting apple trees that will create a coiled garden. Working with schoolchildren, her project is somewhat artistic and somewhat instructive. As she explains, the preparation and sowing sessions have already incorporated learning about mathematics (measuring out the gaps in the orchard), biology (studying the genetic makeup), and origins (tracing the backgrounds of how distinct varieties arrived in Britain).

Several the apples were picked because they’ve got amusing labels such as the Duck’s Bill. We have one apple that ‘bleeds’ crimson liquid

“A lot of the apples were picked because they’ve got funny names such as the Bloody Butcher,” says Gallaccio. “We have one apple that produces crimson liquid. Each has histories attached. The decio apple was introduced by the Romans. The Kentish variety is the apple that fell from a tree and struck the physicist’s head.”

She hoped the children to be more thoughtfully connected of nature and the power we have over it. “For a lot of them, apples were just things you buy from a supermarket, so I was urging them, when they go shopping, to look on the bag and see the variety and where they were grown. Hopefully it says Kent!”

Cultural Projects Throughout Britain

Within the city, Youngsook Choi’s work about extinction will engage visitors looking through Tate Modern on a mission to find the seven major glaciers that have been vanished in the past decade. Every ice sheet will be illustrated on the gallery’s windows and walls using special pens. When located, a chime will sound and a performance will be performed to commemorate that specific ice mass.

At the same time, up in Barrow-in-Furness, Maddi Nicholson will be presenting a public show about our disconnection from the land, as well as holding a community dinner, prepared with sustainable ingredients. Over in Newcastle, an artist is broadcasting her musical project, in which regional performers embark on a mission to use music to heal flora in a local park.

Young Insights

Like Gallaccio, Cornelia Parker will be collaborating with schoolchildren – on the day itself she is hoping to cover a cultural venue in kids’ letters and drawings that document their aspirations and concerns for the future. “Youthful expressions are powerful because they’re not as inhibited as mature perspectives,” she says in her recorded message. “What children have to offer to the world is something truly special and it may stimulate a sense of responsibility from us all. Kids are unbiased. They have concerns for tomorrow. But this shouldn’t be about anxiety – it should be about positivity and our responsibility that they see a better world.”

Tributes and Thoughts

Another artist’s work also resonates for children. As a former drag queen, his avian project involves illustrating avians and then performing as birds – and for the event he is aiming to represent Liverpool’s famous Liver bird. He is also conducting a guided walk of the city, stopping at places that have been part of his ongoing series over the past twenty years. The project started after he faced three incidents of homophobic abuse on a single day. In response, Harfleet decided to sow a flower at the spot where it happened and document it – the project has since spiralled to include incidents reported by other people across the world. “The flowers remain there but they are temporary,” says Harfleet. “Apparently wildlife enjoys them, so they’re a very temporary memorial.”

Harfleet chose the bloom not just for the clear connection – it has long been a term of homophobic abuse – but also because its etymology comes from the French verb, penser, to think. “People connected it with a man who is reflective, and that, of course, is a negative trait,” he says.

The intention on Remember Nature day is to place blooms at new locations and also refresh the memorials in places he has honored before, all the while talking to those on the guided walk about the events and his memories of them. “We’ve seen quite a few following earlier installations,” he says mournfully.

Advancing Positively

The artist wishes his work – and