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During 2015, artist and activist Gustav Metzger launched one of his ultimate major projects. Known for pioneering art that erases itself, Metzger had devoted his career to addressing human struggles from anti-nuclear advocacy to plant-based living. Via a concise video message, he made a plea for a worldwide initiative to celebrate the natural world.

“I, Gustav Metzger, am asking for your engagement in this global appeal for a day of action to remember nature on 4 November 2015,” he declared, encouraging cultural workers to resist the steady eradication of living beings. “Our task is to remind people of the diversity and intricacy 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 came into being, a day when cultural practitioners throughout Britain developed works to the escalating planetary emergency. Jo Joelson, who worked closely with Metzger in his final years, notes his drive for action. “There was a profound sense of urgency for him at the close of his days,” she says. “My advice was – don’t delay. Let’s not wait for funding or for anyone to authorize this. Let’s just do it.”

A Decade Later

Ten years later, the initiative did not incited the mass movement across the arts that Metzger had dreamed of, but organizers feel its influence can still be felt in initiatives like Culture Declares and environmental protests, as well as in how makers handle the sustainability of their work. That’s why she is restaging it to commemorate its decade milestone. Among the key participants taking part currently are Yu-Chen Wang and prominent artists. All participants have created visual art, made video appeals, and developed pieces set to be unveiled on November 4, 2025.

Planting Hope

Interviewing Anya Gallaccio, she is out in a field in a rural area, helping plant apple trees that will develop into a circular grove. Working with schoolchildren, her project is part creative piece and part learning experience. As she explains, the planning and planting sessions have already incorporated learning about mathematics (spacing the distances between trees), biology (exploring the genetic makeup), and history (mapping the journeys of how distinct varieties came to the UK).

Several the apples were selected because they’ve got amusing labels such as the other unusual varieties. We have one apple that releases scarcolored sap

“A lot of the apples were picked because they’ve got funny names such as the Bloody Butcher,” she explains. “We have one apple that ‘bleeds’ red juice. They all have background narratives. The ancient variety was introduced by the Romans. The Flower of Kent is the apple that dropped off a tree and hit the physicist’s head.”

Gallaccio wanted the children to be more actively aware of nature and the influence we have over it. “To many 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 Nationwide

At the capital, one artist’s Book of Loss will involve participants exploring Tate Modern on a journey to find the frozen formations that have been vanished in the past decade. Each glacier will be depicted on the exhibition spaces using special pens. Whenever one is found, a chime will sound and a reading will be held to remember that individual formation.

At the same time, up in another location, a creative will be hosting a public show about our alienation from the environment, as well as organizing a community dinner, cooked from organic, local produce. Over in Newcastle, Uta Kögelsberger is sharing her Some Kind of Love / Forest Choir, in which regional performers undertake a task to perform for vegetation in Newcastle’s Jesmond Dene.

Youth Perspectives

Following this approach, a featured creator will be engaging schoolchildren – on the day itself she is hoping to fill a cultural venue in children’s artwork that express their hopes and fears for the tomorrow. “Kids’ art are impactful because they’re not as restricted as mature perspectives,” she says in her public appeal. “Young people’s input to the world is something quite unique and hopefully it will inspire a awareness of obligation from each person. Children are innocent. They have concerns for tomorrow. But it isn’t meant to be about worry – it should be about positivity and making sure that they have a tomorrow.”

Remembrance and Reflection

A participant’s work also connects with children. With a background in performance, his Birds Can Fly involves illustrating avians and then performing as birds – and for Remember Nature day he is planning to tackle a local symbol. He is also conducting a walking tour of the city, stopping at places that have been part of his long-term work over the recent decades. This endeavor began when he faced three incidents of homophobic abuse on a one occasion. In response, Harfleet decided to sow a flower at the spot where it happened 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 are temporary,” says Harfleet. “Apparently wildlife enjoys them, so they’re a very temporary memorial.”

He picked the pansy not just for the clear connection – it has long been a derogatory label – but also because its etymology comes from the French verb, penser, to think. “It became associated with a man who is contemplative, and that, of course, is a negative trait,” he says.

The plan on Remember Nature day is to sow flowers at fresh spots and also replant flowers in places he has honored before, all the while conversing with those on the itinerant journey about the occurrences and his personal experiences. “There’s been quite a few following earlier installations,” he says mournfully.

Advancing Positively

The artist wishes his work – and