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Back in 2015, creative and campaigner Gustav Metzger initiated one of his ultimate significant endeavors. Known for introducing auto-destructive art, Metzger had dedicated his life to addressing global challenges from anti-nuclear advocacy to ethical eating. Via a concise video message, he requested support for a international event to celebrate the natural world.

“This is my appeal for your involvement in this international summons for a day of action to commemorate our planet on 4 November 2015,” he stated, inviting makers and thinkers to stand against the continuing disappearance of species. “Our task is to help the public recall of the diversity and intricacy in nature … and by doing so art will enter territories that are inherently creative.”

The Inception of Remember Nature

And so the Nature Remembrance initiative was established, a day when cultural practitioners throughout Britain developed works to the unfolding climate catastrophe. Jo Joelson, who worked closely with Metzger in his last days, recalls his sense of urgency. “He had a profound sense of urgency for him at the final chapter,” she says. “I urged him – don’t delay. Let’s not wait for financial support or for anyone to authorize this. We should proceed.”

Ten Years On

Ten years later, Remember Nature may not have sparked the widespread change across the arts that Metzger had hoped for, but Joelson believes its legacy can still be observed in initiatives like cultural advocacy groups and environmental protests, as well as in how artists approach the eco-friendliness of their work. That’s why she is reviving it to commemorate its decade milestone. Part of the featured creators participating now are A Man Called Adam and prominent artists. They have all produced imagery, shared messages, and produced installations set to be presented on November 4, 2025.

Planting Hope

In conversation with one participant, she is on site in Kent, assisting with planting apple trees that will grow to form a coiled garden. Engaging schoolchildren, her project is part creative piece and half educational workshop. As she explains, the design and cultivation sessions have already included learning about mathematics (spacing the gaps in the orchard), genetics (discussing the genetic makeup), and origins (researching the journeys of how various cultivars came to the UK).

A lot of the apples were selected because they’ve got humorous titles such as the Bloody Butcher. We have one apple that ‘bleeds’ scarcolored sap

“Several the apples were picked because they’ve got funny names such as the other unusual varieties,” says Gallaccio. “We have one apple that ‘bleeds’ scarlet-colored sap. They all have histories attached. The decio apple was brought over by the Romans. The local breed is the apple that fell from a tree and landed on Isaac Newton’s head.”

Gallaccio wanted the children to be more consciously engaged of the environment and the control we have over it. “To many of them, 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 what they’re called and the source. Hopefully it says Kent!”

Cultural Projects Nationwide

In London, Youngsook Choi’s work about extinction will involve participants searching a major gallery on a quest to find the frozen formations that have been vanished in the past decade. Each glacier will be drawn on the museum surfaces using ultraviolet markers. Each discovery, a chime will sound and a reading will be performed to commemorate that individual formation.

Meanwhile, up in a northern town, an artist will be presenting a open display about our disconnection from the land, as well as hosting a shared meal, made using regional food. Over in Newcastle, a participant is sharing her environmental performance, in which community vocalists undertake a task to use music to heal flora in a green space.

Children’s Voices

Like Gallaccio, another participant will be engaging schoolchildren – on the actual event she is planning to fill an art space in children’s artwork that document their aspirations and concerns for the tomorrow. “Kids’ art are impactful because they’re not as restricted as adults’,” she says in her call to action video. “The contributions of youth to the world is something distinctive and it may provoke a feeling of duty from us all. Youth is pure. They have fears about the future. But let’s not make it about worry – it should be about hope and us ensuring that they have a tomorrow.”

Remembrance and Reflection

Paul Harfleet’s work also appeals to children. Drawing on past experience, his Birds Can Fly involves drawing birds and then dressing up as them – and for Remember Nature day he is intending to tackle Liverpool’s famous Liver bird. He is also conducting a itinerant journey of the city, exploring locations that have been part of his ongoing series over the past twenty years. That ongoing series commenced following he experienced multiple occurrences of discrimination 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 grown to incorporate experiences shared by other people across the world. “I leave the pansies there but they are temporary,” says Harfleet. “It seems wildlife enjoys them, so they’re a short-lived memorial.”

Harfleet chose the pansy not just for the obvious reason – it has long been a term of homophobic abuse – but also because its etymology comes from the French verb, penser, to think. “It was linked to a man who is contemplative, and that, of course, is a terrible thing,” he says.

The intention on 4 November is to place blooms at fresh spots and also refresh the memorials in places he has honored before, all the while discussing with those on the guided walk about the events and his recollections. “I’ve recorded quite a few following earlier installations,” he says sadly.

Advancing Positively

Harfleet hopes his work – and