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Back in 2015, artist and activist Gustav Metzger embarked on one of his final important works. Known for introducing self-destructive creations, Metzger had devoted his career to confronting societal issues from peace activism to vegetarianism. In a brief video message, he issued a call for a international event to celebrate the natural world.

“This is my appeal for your participation in this worldwide call for a day of action to reflect on the environment on 4 November 2015,” he declared, inviting makers and thinkers to stand against the ongoing loss of living beings. “Our responsibility is to make audiences aware of the diversity and intricacy in nature … and by doing so art will enter domains that are naturally imaginative.”

The Birth of Nature Remembrance

Thus Remember Nature was born, a day when creatives nationwide developed works to the escalating planetary emergency. An organizer, who supported Metzger in his later life, remembers his sense of urgency. “There was a great sense of urgency for him at the end of his life,” she says. “I just said – don’t delay. Let’s not wait for funding or for anyone to green light this. Take action immediately.”

After Ten Years

After ten years, Remember Nature did not triggered the broad uprising across the arts that Metzger had dreamed of, but Joelson believes its legacy can still be observed in campaigns like artist-led declarations and environmental protests, as well as in how makers handle the environmental impact of their work. That’s why she is restaging it to celebrate its decade milestone. Included in the key participants taking part currently are Yu-Chen Wang and prominent artists. They have all created visual art, made video appeals, and developed pieces set to be revealed on 4 November 2025.

Planting Hope

When speaking to Anya Gallaccio, she is on site in Kent, cultivating apple trees that will develop into a coiled garden. Engaging schoolchildren, her project is part creative piece and somewhat instructive. According to her, the planning and planting sessions have already included learning about measurements (spacing the planting intervals), biology (exploring the apple’s DNA), and geography (mapping the stories of how various cultivars were introduced to England).

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

“A lot of the apples were picked because they’ve got humorous titles such as the other unusual varieties,” she explains. “We have one apple that produces crimson liquid. They all have stories behind them. The historical cultivar was brought over by the Romans. The Kentish variety is the apple that fell from a tree and struck Isaac Newton’s head.”

Gallaccio wanted the children to be more thoughtfully connected of nature and the influence we have over it. “For a lot of them, apples were just things you buy from a supermarket, so I was encouraging them, next time they were out, to read the label and see the variety and the source. Hopefully it says Kent!”

Cultural Projects Nationwide

Within the city, Youngsook Choi’s Book of Loss will involve participants searching a major gallery on a quest to find the ice masses that have been lost in recent years. Every ice sheet will be drawn on the museum surfaces using ultraviolet markers. When located, a chime will sound and a recitation will be performed to commemorate that particular glacier.

Elsewhere, up in a northern town, an artist will be hosting a public show about our separation from nature, as well as organizing a communal feast, prepared with regional food. Over in Newcastle, Uta Kögelsberger is broadcasting her musical project, in which regional performers begin a project to use music to heal flora in Newcastle’s Jesmond Dene.

Children’s Voices

Following this approach, another participant will be collaborating with schoolchildren – on the scheduled date she is aiming to decorate an art space in children’s artwork that capture their aspirations and concerns for the future. “Children’s words and images are powerful because they’re not as inhibited as adults’,” she says in her public appeal. “What children have to offer to the world is something distinctive and perhaps it can inspire a sense of responsibility from everyone. Children are innocent. They have concerns for tomorrow. But it isn’t meant to be about worry – it should be about optimism and making sure that they see a better world.”

Memorials and Memory

Another artist’s work also connects with children. As a former drag queen, his Birds Can Fly involves drawing birds and then dressing up as them – and for Remember Nature day he is aiming to represent Liverpool’s famous Liver bird. He is also organizing a itinerant journey of the city, visiting various sites that have been part of his ongoing series over the last two decades. This endeavor began when he faced several events of prejudice on a one occasion. As a reaction, Harfleet decided to sow a flower at the site of each occurrence and document it – the project has since expanded to include incidents shared by other people across the world. “I leave the pansies there but they fade quickly,” says Harfleet. “Apparently wildlife enjoys them, so they’re a short-lived memorial.”

Harfleet chose the bloom 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 became associated with a man who is thoughtful, and that, of course, is a negative trait,” he says.

The project on the event day is to sow flowers at fresh spots and also replant flowers in places he has honored before, all the while conversing with those on the guided walk about the occurrences and his recollections. “We’ve seen quite a few after my previous work,” he says sadly.

Progressing Optimistically

He desires his work – and