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Back in 2015, artist and activist Gustav Metzger embarked on one of his final significant endeavors. Known for introducing auto-destructive art, Metzger had dedicated his life to addressing human struggles from nuclear disarmament to vegetarianism. In a brief video message, he issued a call for a global day of action to remember nature.

“I call upon you for your involvement in this international summons for a day of action to commemorate our planet on November 4th, 2015,” he declared, encouraging cultural workers to oppose the steady eradication of living beings. “Our task is to help the public recall of the abundance and sophistication in nature … and by doing so creativity will explore territories that are inherently creative.”

The Inception of Remember Nature

In this way the Nature Remembrance initiative was born, a day when cultural practitioners throughout Britain produced pieces to the escalating planetary emergency. Jo Joelson, who supported Metzger in his last days, recalls his drive for action. “He had a great sense of urgency for him at the final chapter,” she says. “I just said – we must act now. We shouldn’t hold back for sponsorship or for anyone to approve this. We should proceed.”

After Ten Years

Ten years later, the project did not triggered the broad uprising across the arts that Metzger had dreamed of, but supporters think its legacy can still be felt in initiatives like artist-led declarations and climate activism networks, as well as in how makers handle the sustainability of their practices. For this purpose she is relaunching it to mark its decade milestone. Part of the featured creators involved this time are A Man Called Adam and other notable figures. They have all designed posters, made video appeals, and produced installations set to be unveiled on November 4, 2025.

Sowing Change

When speaking to one participant, she is working outdoors in a rural area, cultivating apple trees that will develop into a spiral-shaped orchard. Engaging schoolchildren, her project is somewhat artistic and half educational workshop. As she explains, the planning and planting sessions have already included learning about measurements (spacing the gaps in the orchard), genetics (discussing the genetic makeup), and history (mapping the backgrounds of how various cultivars came to the UK).

Several the apples were picked because they’ve got funny names such as the Duck’s Bill. We have one apple that ‘bleeds’ scarcolored sap

“A lot of the apples were chosen because they’ve got funny names such as the Duck’s Bill,” she explains. “We have one apple that releases red juice. Every one carries background narratives. The decio apple was introduced by the Romans. The Flower of Kent is the apple that descended from a tree and hit the scientist’s head.”

Gallaccio wanted the children to be more thoughtfully connected of nature 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 check the packaging and see the variety and their origin. Ideally it reads Kent!”

Creative Initiatives Nationwide

At the capital, one artist’s work about extinction will include attendees exploring a major gallery on a journey to find the ice masses that have been disappeared in modern times. Each glacier will be depicted on the gallery’s windows and walls using special pens. When located, a alert will occur and a recitation will be conducted to remember that specific ice mass.

Elsewhere, up in another location, Maddi Nicholson will be presenting a public show about our alienation from the environment, as well as holding a communal feast, prepared with sustainable ingredients. Further north, an artist is broadcasting her musical project, in which community vocalists embark on a mission to sing plants back to health in a local park.

Children’s Voices

Like Gallaccio, another participant will be collaborating with schoolchildren – on the scheduled date she is aiming to decorate a cultural venue in youth creations that document their aspirations and concerns for the tomorrow. “Youthful expressions are powerful because they’re not as trammelled as mature perspectives,” she says in her public appeal. “The contributions of youth to the world is something truly special and it may inspire a sense of responsibility from us all. Kids are unbiased. They have anxieties about what’s next. But this shouldn’t be about anxiety – it should be about hope and making sure that they have a tomorrow.”

Remembrance and Reflection

Another artist’s work also appeals to children. With a background in performance, his feathered initiative involves drawing birds and then embodying them – and for Remember Nature day he is planning to tackle Liverpool’s famous Liver bird. He is also staging a guided walk of the city, stopping at places that have been part of his long-term work over the recent decades. The project started after he experienced several events of homophobic abuse on a particular day. To counter this, Harfleet decided to sow a flower at the location of every incident and record it – the project has since expanded to incorporate experiences experienced by other people across the world. “I leave the pansies there but they fade quickly,” says Harfleet. “Reportedly wildlife enjoys them, so they’re a ephemeral memorial.”

The artist selected the pansy 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 became associated with a man who is contemplative, and that, of course, is a negative trait,” he says.

The intention on Remember Nature day is to sow flowers at additional sites and also replant flowers in places he has previously memorialised, all the while talking to those on the itinerant journey about the events and his recollections. “I’ve recorded quite a few following earlier installations,” he says with regret.

Moving Forward with Hope

Harfleet hopes his work – and