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Back in 2015, visionary and advocate Gustav Metzger launched one of his ultimate significant endeavors. Recognized for pioneering art that erases itself, Metzger had devoted his career to responding to societal issues from anti-nuclear advocacy to ethical eating. Through a short video message, he issued a call for a global day of action to remember nature.

“I call upon you for your involvement in this worldwide call for a day of action to remember nature on 4 November 2015,” he declared, urging cultural workers to oppose the steady eradication of flora and fauna. “Our task is to remind people of the diversity and intricacy in nature … and by doing so creativity will explore realms that are fundamentally innovative.”

The Inception of Environmental Reflection

And so the environmental art day was established, a day when artists across the country developed works to the unfolding climate catastrophe. One of the curators, who cared for Metzger in his final years, recalls his sense of urgency. “He had a great sense of urgency for him at the final chapter,” she says. “I urged him – we must act now. Let’s not wait for sponsorship or for anyone to authorize this. Take action immediately.”

A Decade Later

A decade on, Remember Nature did not triggered the broad uprising across the arts that Metzger had dreamed of, but organizers feel its legacy can still be observed in initiatives like cultural advocacy groups and climate activism networks, as well as in how artists approach the eco-friendliness of their methods. For this purpose she is reviving it to commemorate its ten-year mark. Included in the 18 lead artists taking part currently are Yu-Chen Wang and Anya Gallaccio. All participants have created visual art, recorded calls to action, and developed pieces set to be presented on November 4, 2025.

Cultivating Awareness

In conversation with Anya Gallaccio, she is on site in a rural area, cultivating apple trees that will create a circular grove. Engaging schoolchildren, her project is somewhat artistic and half educational workshop. As she explains, the preparation and sowing sessions have already involved learning about measurements (spacing the planting intervals), genetics (studying the hereditary traits), and history (researching the backgrounds of how distinct varieties arrived in Britain).

Many of the apples were chosen because they’ve got amusing labels such as the Bloody Butcher. We have one apple that produces scarcolored sap

“A lot of the apples were selected because they’ve got amusing labels such as the Bloody Butcher,” she explains. “We have one apple that releases red juice. Each has histories attached. The historical cultivar was imported by the Romans. The Flower of Kent is the apple that fell from a tree and struck the physicist’s head.”

The artist aimed the children to be more actively aware of the natural world and the influence we have over it. “To many of them, apples were just things you buy from a supermarket, so I was urging them, when they go shopping, to read the label and see the variety and where they were grown. Hopefully it says Kent!”

Cultural Projects Nationwide

At the capital, one artist’s Book of Loss will engage visitors searching Tate Modern on a journey to find the seven major glaciers that have been lost in modern times. All formations will be depicted on the exhibition spaces using invisible ink. Whenever one is found, a alert will occur and a performance will be performed to honor that specific ice mass.

At the same time, up in a northern town, a creative will be hosting a open display about our separation from nature, as well as holding a communal feast, made using organic, local produce. In another city, a participant is streaming her Some Kind of Love / Forest Choir, in which local singers embark on a mission to use music to heal flora in a green space.

Children’s Voices

Following this approach, a featured creator will be collaborating with schoolchildren – on the actual event she is planning to fill an art space in kids’ letters and drawings that document their aspirations and concerns for the tomorrow. “Youthful expressions are powerful because they’re not as trammelled as grown-ups’,” she says in her recorded message. “What children have to offer to the world is something distinctive and hopefully it will inspire a sense of responsibility from us all. Youth is pure. They have fears about the future. But this shouldn’t be about worry – it should be about hope and making sure that they have a tomorrow.”

Memorials and Memory

Another artist’s work also resonates for children. With a background in performance, his Birds Can Fly involves drawing birds and then embodying them – and for the initiative he is planning to tackle Liverpool’s famous Liver bird. He is also staging a guided walk of the city, visiting various sites that have been part of his long-term work over the recent decades. The project began when he experienced three incidents of prejudice on a one occasion. To counter this, Harfleet decided to plant a pansy at the location of every incident and record it – the project has since expanded to incorporate experiences shared by other people across the world. “The flowers remain there but they fade quickly,” says Harfleet. “It seems wildlife enjoys them, so they’re a very temporary memorial.”

He picked the bloom not just for the clear connection – it has long been a derogatory label – 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 bad quality,” he says.

The intention on Remember Nature day is to plant pansies at additional sites and also replant flowers in places he has honored before, all the while conversing with those on the walking tour about the events and his memories of them. “There’s been quite a few since I last planted,” he says sadly.

Advancing Positively

He desires his work – and