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Back in 2015, visionary and advocate Gustav Metzger initiated one of his final important works. Recognized for introducing auto-destructive art, Metzger had devoted his career to responding to human struggles from peace activism to ethical eating. Via a concise video message, he made a plea for a worldwide initiative to remember nature.

“I, Gustav Metzger, am asking for your engagement in this worldwide call for a day of action to remember nature on 4 November 2015,” he declared, inviting cultural workers to oppose the ongoing loss of species. “Our responsibility is to make audiences aware of the diversity and intricacy in nature … and by doing so the arts will venture into realms that are fundamentally innovative.”

The Inception of Environmental Reflection

Thus Remember Nature was born, a day when creatives nationwide created responses to the unfolding climate catastrophe. Jo Joelson, who supported Metzger in his final years, remembers his drive for action. “He had a great sense of urgency for him at the final chapter,” she says. “I urged him – don’t delay. We shouldn’t hold back for sponsorship or for anyone to authorize this. Let’s just do it.”

After Ten Years

A decade on, Remember Nature hasn’t quite sparked the widespread change across the arts that Metzger had hoped for, but Joelson believes its impact can still be seen in initiatives like artist-led declarations and climate activism networks, as well as in how creatives consider the sustainability of their methods. That’s why she is relaunching it to mark its 10-year anniversary. Included in the key participants involved this time are Cornelia Parker and other notable figures. Each has created visual art, made video appeals, and produced installations set to be revealed on November 4, 2025.

Sowing Change

When speaking to one participant, she is out in a field in a rural area, helping plant apple trees that will develop into a circular grove. Collaborating with schoolchildren, her project is somewhat artistic and part learning experience. As she explains, the preparation and sowing sessions have already involved learning about maths (measuring out the gaps in the orchard), science (exploring the apple’s DNA), and origins (mapping the backgrounds of how various cultivars were introduced to England).

Many of the apples were chosen because they’ve got amusing labels such as the Duck’s Bill. We have one apple that releases scarcolored sap

“Many of the apples were chosen because they’ve got funny names such as the Bloody Butcher,” says Gallaccio. “We have one apple that produces crimson liquid. They all have background narratives. The historical cultivar was imported by the Romans. The Kentish variety is the apple that descended from a tree and landed on Isaac Newton’s head.”

Gallaccio wanted the children to be more actively aware 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, when they go shopping, to check the packaging and see what they’re called and the source. Hopefully it says Kent!”

Cultural Projects Throughout Britain

In London, Youngsook Choi’s work about extinction will include attendees exploring Tate Modern on a journey to find the ice masses that have been disappeared in the past decade. All formations will be illustrated on the exhibition spaces using invisible ink. Each discovery, a chime will sound and a recitation will be conducted to remember that specific ice mass.

At the same time, up in Barrow-in-Furness, a creative will be putting on a public show about our separation from nature, as well as holding a communal feast, made using regional food. Further north, a participant is broadcasting her environmental performance, in which regional performers undertake a task to perform for vegetation in Newcastle’s Jesmond Dene.

Young Insights

Similar to other artists, another participant will be working with schoolchildren – on the scheduled date she is hoping to fill an art space 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 recorded message. “The contributions of youth to the world is something distinctive and perhaps it can inspire a awareness of obligation from everyone. Children are innocent. They have fears about the future. But this shouldn’t be about fear – it should be about hope and our responsibility that they see a better world.”

Remembrance and Reflection

Paul Harfleet’s work also appeals to children. With a background in performance, his avian project involves drawing birds and then dressing up as them – and for Remember Nature day he is intending to represent an iconic figure. He is also organizing a walking tour of the city, visiting various sites that have been part of his ongoing series over the past twenty years. The project commenced following he endured several events of homophobic abuse on a particular day. To counter this, Harfleet decided to plant a pansy at the spot where it happened and photograph it – the project has since spiralled to incorporate experiences shared by other people across the world. “The flowers remain there but they fade quickly,” says Harfleet. “Reportedly birds consume them, so they’re a short-lived memorial.”

Harfleet chose the flower not just for the clear connection – it has long been a term of homophobic abuse – but also because its origin is the French verb, penser, to think. “People connected it with a man who is thoughtful, and that, of course, is a terrible thing,” he says.

The intention on 4 November is to plant pansies at fresh spots and also refresh the memorials in places he has previously memorialised, all the while talking to those on the walking tour about the incidents and his personal experiences. “I’ve recorded quite a few after my previous work,” he says with regret.

Progressing Optimistically

The artist wishes his work – and