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During 2015, visionary and advocate Gustav Metzger initiated one of his final major projects. Known for pioneering self-destructive creations, Metzger had devoted his career to addressing societal issues from nuclear disarmament to ethical eating. Through a short video message, he made a plea for a international event to remember nature.

“I, Gustav Metzger, am asking for your involvement in this international summons for a day of action to remember nature on the fourth of November, 2015,” he stated, encouraging makers and thinkers to oppose the ongoing loss of species. “Our responsibility is to help the public recall of the abundance and sophistication in nature … and by doing so creativity will explore domains that are inherently creative.”

The Birth of Remember Nature

And so the environmental art day was established, a day when cultural practitioners throughout Britain developed works to the unfolding climate catastrophe. Jo Joelson, who supported Metzger in his final years, notes his feeling of immediacy. “There was a great sense of urgency for him at the close of his days,” she says. “I urged him – we must act now. We shouldn’t hold back for sponsorship or for anyone to green light this. Let’s just do it.”

After Ten Years

Ten years later, the initiative did not sparked the widespread change across the arts that Metzger had envisioned, but organizers feel its influence can still be felt in initiatives like Culture Declares and climate activism networks, as well as in how makers handle the sustainability of their practices. That’s why she is relaunching it to commemorate its decade milestone. Among the key participants participating now are Cornelia Parker and Anya Gallaccio. Each has produced imagery, shared messages, and developed pieces set to be unveiled on 4 November 2025.

Cultivating Awareness

When speaking to Anya Gallaccio, she is working outdoors in the countryside, assisting with planting apple trees that will create a coiled garden. Collaborating with schoolchildren, her project is somewhat artistic and half educational workshop. According to her, the planning and planting sessions have already included learning about measurements (measuring out the gaps in the orchard), biology (studying the hereditary traits), and geography (mapping the stories of how different apples came to the UK).

Several the apples were chosen because they’ve got funny names such as the Bloody Butcher. We have one apple that ‘bleeds’ crimson liquid

“A lot of the apples were picked because they’ve got amusing labels such as the Bloody Butcher,” she explains. “We have one apple that ‘bleeds’ crimson liquid. Every one carries background narratives. The historical cultivar was brought over by the Romans. The Flower of Kent is the apple that fell from a tree and hit Isaac Newton’s head.”

The artist aimed the children to be more actively aware of the environment and the power we have over it. “In their experience, apples were just things you buy from a supermarket, so I was urging them, next time they were out, to look on the bag and see what they’re called and the source. Hopefully it says Kent!”

Cultural Projects Throughout Britain

At the capital, Youngsook Choi’s Book of Loss will engage visitors looking through an art institution on a quest to find the frozen formations that have been vanished in recent years. All formations will be illustrated on the museum surfaces using ultraviolet markers. Each discovery, a bell will ring and a performance will be conducted to remember that particular glacier.

Meanwhile, up in a northern town, an artist will be putting on a open display about our disconnection from the land, as well as organizing a communal feast, made using organic, local produce. Further north, an artist is broadcasting her Some Kind of Love / Forest Choir, in which community vocalists embark on a mission to perform for vegetation in Newcastle’s Jesmond Dene.

Youth Perspectives

Like Gallaccio, a featured creator will be working with schoolchildren – on the actual event she is hoping to decorate an art space in children’s artwork that express their aspirations and concerns for the years ahead. “Children’s words and images are powerful 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 distinctive and perhaps it can inspire a feeling of duty from everyone. Children are innocent. They have concerns for tomorrow. But let’s not make it about fear – it should be about hope and making sure that they have a tomorrow.”

Remembrance and Reflection

Another artist’s work also resonates for children. As a former drag queen, his feathered initiative involves drawing birds and then dressing up as them – and for Remember Nature day he is planning to address 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. The project commenced following he faced multiple occurrences of homophobic abuse on a single day. As a reaction, Harfleet decided to sow a flower at the spot where it happened and record it – the project has since grown to incorporate experiences reported by other people across the world. “I place the plants there but they fade quickly,” says Harfleet. “Reportedly wildlife enjoys them, so they’re a ephemeral memorial.”

Harfleet chose the pansy not just for the direct association – it has long been a derogatory label – 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 fresh spots and also refresh the memorials in places he has marked earlier, all the while conversing with those on the walking tour about the events and his recollections. “I’ve recorded quite a few following earlier installations,” he says with regret.

Progressing Optimistically

Harfleet hopes his work – and