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Back in 2015, artist and activist Gustav Metzger initiated one of his final major projects. Famed for pioneering art that erases itself, Metzger had dedicated his life to responding to human struggles from peace activism to ethical eating. Via a concise video message, he issued a call for a international event to honor the environment.

“This is my appeal for your participation in this global appeal for a day of action to reflect on the environment on 4 November 2015,” he declared, urging cultural workers to stand against the ongoing loss of species. “Our task is to help the public recall of the abundance and sophistication in nature … and by doing so art will enter territories that are inherently creative.”

The Creation of Remember Nature

In this way the environmental art day was born, a day when cultural practitioners throughout Britain produced pieces to the unfolding climate catastrophe. Jo Joelson, who cared for Metzger in his final years, remembers his drive for action. “There was a great sense of urgency for him at the end of his life,” she says. “I just said – let’s not mess around. No need to pause for sponsorship or for anyone to green light this. Take action immediately.”

After Ten Years

Ten years later, the project hasn’t quite incited the mass movement across the arts that Metzger had envisioned, but supporters think its influence can still be seen in movements like artist-led declarations and environmental protests, as well as in how makers handle the sustainability of their work. For this purpose she is reviving it to commemorate its ten-year mark. Part of the key participants involved this time are Yu-Chen Wang and prominent artists. All participants have produced imagery, shared messages, and developed pieces set to be presented on November 4, 2025.

Cultivating Awareness

When speaking to Anya Gallaccio, she is on site in a rural area, cultivating apple trees that will create a spiral-shaped orchard. Working with schoolchildren, her project is half artwork and half educational workshop. She describes, the preparation and sowing sessions have already incorporated learning about measurements (spacing the planting intervals), biology (studying the apple’s DNA), and history (tracing the journeys of how distinct varieties were introduced to England).

A lot of the apples were chosen because they’ve got amusing labels such as the other unusual varieties. We have one apple that ‘bleeds’ crimson liquid

“Several the apples were selected because they’ve got humorous titles such as the Bloody Butcher,” the artist notes. “We have one apple that produces crimson liquid. Every one carries background narratives. The historical cultivar was introduced by the Romans. The Kentish variety is the apple that descended from a tree and landed on Isaac Newton’s head.”

The artist aimed the children to be more thoughtfully connected of the natural world and the control we have over it. “For a lot of them, apples were just things you get at a supermarket, so I was prompting them, next time they were out, to look on the bag and see the variety and their origin. Ideally it reads Kent!”

Artistic Responses Nationwide

In London, Youngsook Choi’s work about extinction will include attendees searching Tate Modern on a journey to find the seven major glaciers that have been vanished in modern times. Every ice sheet will be drawn on the museum surfaces using special pens. Each discovery, a alert will occur and a performance will be conducted to commemorate that particular glacier.

Meanwhile, up in a northern town, a creative will be hosting a open display about our disconnection from the land, as well as organizing a communal feast, prepared with regional food. Over in Newcastle, Uta Kögelsberger is sharing her musical project, in which community vocalists begin a project to use music to heal flora in a local park.

Young Insights

Similar to other artists, Cornelia Parker will be engaging schoolchildren – on the scheduled date she is aiming to decorate Cambridge’s Kettle’s Yard in children’s artwork that express their dreams and worries for the years ahead. “Youthful expressions are compelling because they’re not as inhibited as adults’,” she says in her call to action video. “The contributions of youth to the world is something quite unique and perhaps it can inspire a feeling of duty from each person. Kids are unbiased. They have anxieties about what’s next. But it isn’t meant to be about worry – it should be about hope and our responsibility that they see a better world.”

Tributes and Thoughts

Paul Harfleet’s work also connects with children. As a former drag queen, his Birds Can Fly involves drawing birds and then performing as birds – and for Remember Nature day he is planning to tackle Liverpool’s famous Liver bird. He is also organizing a itinerant journey of the city, exploring locations that have been part of his long-term work over the past twenty years. This endeavor started after he experienced multiple occurrences of homophobic abuse on a one occasion. To counter this, Harfleet decided to sow a flower at the spot where it happened and document it – the project has since expanded to include incidents shared by other people across the world. “The flowers remain there but they don’t often last,” says Harfleet. “It seems wildlife enjoys them, so they’re a ephemeral memorial.”

He picked the bloom not just for the clear connection – it has long been a slur – but also because its name derives from the French verb, penser, to think. “People connected it with a man who is thoughtful, and that, of course, is a negative trait,” he says.

The intention on Remember Nature day is to sow flowers at fresh spots 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 recollections. “We’ve seen quite a few after my previous work,” he says with regret.

Progressing Optimistically

Harfleet hopes his work – and