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In 2015, artist and activist Gustav Metzger launched one of his final important works. Known for introducing art that erases itself, Metzger had spent a lifetime to addressing human struggles from nuclear disarmament to plant-based living. Via a concise video message, he requested support for a worldwide initiative to remember nature.

“I call upon you for your engagement in this international summons for a day of action to reflect on the environment on the fourth of November, 2015,” he declared, urging makers and thinkers to oppose the ongoing loss of living beings. “The mission is to make audiences aware of the diversity and intricacy in nature … and by doing so creativity will explore domains that are naturally imaginative.”

The Creation of Nature Remembrance

In this way Remember Nature was established, a day when artists across the country developed works to the ongoing environmental crisis. Jo Joelson, who cared for Metzger in his later life, notes his drive for action. “I sensed a strong sense of urgency for him at the end of his life,” she says. “I urged him – let’s not mess around. No need to pause for funding or for anyone to green light this. Let’s just do it.”

Ten Years On

Ten years later, the project did not triggered the broad uprising across the arts that Metzger had envisioned, but Joelson believes its influence can still be observed in campaigns like cultural advocacy groups and climate activism networks, as well as in how makers handle the environmental impact of their methods. This is the reason she is reviving it to mark its ten-year mark. Included in the key participants involved this time are Yu-Chen Wang and other notable figures. They have all produced imagery, made video appeals, and produced installations set to be presented on 4 November 2025.

Sowing Change

When speaking to Anya Gallaccio, she is on site in the countryside, helping plant apple trees that will create a circular grove. Working with schoolchildren, her project is somewhat artistic and part learning experience. As she explains, the preparation and sowing sessions have already involved learning about mathematics (calculating the gaps in the orchard), science (exploring the genetic makeup), and geography (tracing the stories of how distinct varieties were introduced to England).

Several the apples were chosen because they’ve got amusing labels such as the Bloody Butcher. We have one apple that produces crimson liquid

“A lot of the apples were selected because they’ve got amusing labels such as the Duck’s Bill,” the artist notes. “We have one apple that produces red juice. They all have background narratives. The decio apple was imported by the Romans. The Flower of Kent is the apple that fell from a tree and hit the physicist’s head.”

The artist aimed the children to be more actively aware of the environment and the power we have over it. “To many of them, apples were just things you buy from a supermarket, so I was prompting them, next time they were out, to look on the bag and see the variety and where they were grown. Hopefully it says Kent!”

Creative Initiatives Nationwide

In London, a participant’s work about extinction will include attendees searching an art institution on a quest to find the frozen formations that have been disappeared in recent years. All formations will be drawn on the exhibition spaces using ultraviolet markers. When located, a alert will occur and a recitation will be performed to commemorate that individual formation.

Meanwhile, up in a northern town, an artist will be presenting a open display about our alienation from the environment, as well as organizing a communal feast, made using sustainable ingredients. Further north, Uta Kögelsberger is broadcasting her Some Kind of Love / Forest Choir, in which regional performers begin a project to perform for vegetation in a local park.

Young Insights

Like Gallaccio, a featured creator will be collaborating with schoolchildren – on the actual event she is hoping to cover a cultural venue in kids’ letters and drawings that capture their hopes and fears for the future. “Children’s words and images 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 quite unique and it may inspire a feeling of duty from us all. Youth is pure. They have anxieties about what’s next. But it isn’t meant to be about worry – it should be about positivity and us ensuring that they see a better world.”

Remembrance and Reflection

Paul Harfleet’s work also resonates for children. With a background in performance, his avian project involves drawing birds and then embodying them – and for the event he is aiming to represent Liverpool’s famous Liver bird. He is also staging a walking tour of the city, exploring locations that have been part of his ongoing series over the recent decades. This endeavor commenced following he endured multiple occurrences of homophobic abuse on a one occasion. To counter this, Harfleet decided to sow a flower at the site of each occurrence and document it – the project has since expanded to incorporate experiences shared by other people across the world. “I place the plants there but they are temporary,” says Harfleet. “Reportedly wildlife enjoys them, so they’re a very temporary memorial.”

He picked 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 terrible thing,” he says.

The intention on the event day is to place blooms at new locations and also renew the tributes in places he has marked earlier, all the while discussing with those on the walking tour about the occurrences and his personal experiences. “We’ve seen quite a few following earlier installations,” he says sadly.

Advancing Positively

The artist wishes his work – and