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Back in 2015, artist and activist Gustav Metzger launched one of his ultimate significant endeavors. Famed for creating art that erases itself, Metzger had dedicated his life to responding to global challenges from nuclear disarmament to plant-based living. Through a short video message, he requested support for a worldwide initiative to celebrate the natural world.

“I call upon you for your involvement in this international summons for a day of action to reflect on the environment on the fourth of November, 2015,” he declared, urging artists and creatives to stand against the steady eradication of species. “Our task is to make audiences aware of the abundance and sophistication in nature … and by doing so the arts will venture into realms that are inherently creative.”

The Creation of Remember Nature

And so the environmental art day was established, a day when creatives nationwide produced pieces to the unfolding climate catastrophe. One of the curators, who cared for Metzger in his final years, recalls his sense of urgency. “There was a profound sense of urgency for him at the final chapter,” she says. “I urged him – we must act now. Let’s not wait for financial support or for anyone to approve this. We should proceed.”

Ten Years On

Ten years later, the initiative hasn’t quite sparked the widespread change across the arts that Metzger had envisioned, but Joelson believes its influence can still be seen in initiatives like artist-led declarations and Extinction Rebellion, as well as in how creatives consider the sustainability of their methods. For this purpose she is relaunching it to commemorate its 10-year anniversary. Among the key participants participating now are Cornelia Parker and prominent artists. They have all created visual art, made video appeals, and developed pieces set to be presented on November 4, 2025.

Sowing Change

Interviewing the artist, she is on site in a rural area, helping plant apple trees that will grow to form a coiled garden. Working with schoolchildren, her project is somewhat artistic and somewhat instructive. She describes, the preparation and sowing sessions have already included learning about measurements (spacing the distances between trees), biology (studying the genetic makeup), and origins (tracing the backgrounds of how various cultivars 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 releases red juice

“Several the apples were selected because they’ve got funny names such as the Bloody Butcher,” she explains. “We have one apple that produces red juice. Each has histories attached. The decio apple was brought over by the Romans. The Kentish variety is the apple that fell from a tree and struck the physicist’s head.”

Gallaccio wanted the children to be more consciously engaged of nature and the power we have over it. “In their experience, apples were just things you find in a supermarket, so I was encouraging them, on their next shopping trip, to read the label and see the variety and their origin. Hopefully it says Kent!”

Creative Initiatives Throughout Britain

In London, Youngsook Choi’s project on disappearance will include attendees searching Tate Modern on a quest to find the frozen formations that have been vanished in the past decade. All formations will be depicted on the museum surfaces using invisible ink. Each discovery, a alert will occur and a reading will be performed to remember that particular glacier.

At the same time, up in another location, a creative will be putting on a public show about our separation from nature, as well as hosting a community dinner, cooked from organic, local produce. Over in Newcastle, an artist 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.

Young Insights

Following this approach, Cornelia Parker will be working with schoolchildren – on the day itself she is aiming to fill a cultural venue in kids’ letters and drawings that document their aspirations and concerns for the tomorrow. “Children’s words and images are compelling because they’re not as inhibited as grown-ups’,” she says in her recorded message. “Young people’s input to the world is something quite unique and hopefully it will stimulate a awareness of obligation from everyone. Children are innocent. They have concerns for tomorrow. But this shouldn’t be about worry – it should be about hope and our responsibility that they have a tomorrow.”

Memorials and Memory

Another artist’s work also connects with children. As a former drag queen, his avian project involves drawing birds and then dressing up as them – and for the initiative he is planning to tackle an iconic figure. He is also conducting a walking tour of the city, stopping at places that have been part of his ongoing series over the recent decades. The project started after he experienced multiple occurrences of homophobic abuse on a particular day. To counter this, Harfleet decided to plant a pansy at the spot where it happened and document it – the project has since expanded to incorporate experiences experienced by other people across the world. “I place the plants there but they are temporary,” says Harfleet. “It seems wildlife enjoys them, so they’re a short-lived memorial.”

Harfleet chose the flower 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 plan on 4 November is to plant pansies at additional sites and also replant flowers in places he has previously memorialised, all the while discussing with those on the itinerant journey about the incidents and his recollections. “We’ve seen quite a few since I last planted,” he says sadly.

Moving Forward with Hope

Harfleet hopes his work – and