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Back in 2015, artist and activist Gustav Metzger initiated one of his final major projects. Known for creating auto-destructive art, Metzger had dedicated his life to confronting global challenges from peace activism to ethical eating. Via a concise video message, he made a plea for a worldwide initiative to celebrate the natural world.

“I call upon you for your engagement in this international summons for a day of action to commemorate our planet on the fourth of November, 2015,” he declared, inviting makers and thinkers to stand against the ongoing loss of species. “The mission is to make audiences aware of the abundance and sophistication in nature … and by doing so art will enter territories that are inherently creative.”

The Birth of Environmental Reflection

In this way the Nature Remembrance initiative was born, a day when cultural practitioners throughout Britain developed works to the unfolding climate catastrophe. Jo Joelson, who worked closely with Metzger in his later life, remembers his drive for action. “There was a great sense of urgency for him at the end of his life,” she says. “My advice was – let’s not mess around. Let’s not wait for financial support or for anyone to approve this. Take action immediately.”

A Decade Later

Ten years later, the project did not triggered the broad uprising across the arts that Metzger had dreamed of, but organizers feel its legacy can still be felt in initiatives like artist-led declarations and Extinction Rebellion, as well as in how makers handle the eco-friendliness of their methods. That’s why she is relaunching it to commemorate its 10-year anniversary. Part of the key participants participating now are A Man Called Adam and Anya Gallaccio. All participants have created visual art, recorded calls to action, and developed pieces set to be unveiled on November 4, 2025.

Sowing Change

In conversation with Anya Gallaccio, she is on site in the countryside, cultivating apple trees that will grow to form a spiral-shaped orchard. Engaging schoolchildren, her project is half artwork and somewhat instructive. As she explains, the design and cultivation sessions have already included learning about measurements (calculating the gaps in the orchard), science (exploring the genetic makeup), and history (researching the journeys of how distinct varieties were introduced to England).

Several the apples were selected because they’ve got funny names such as the Duck’s Bill. We have one apple that releases red juice

“A lot of the apples were picked because they’ve got humorous titles such as the Bloody Butcher,” she explains. “We have one apple that ‘bleeds’ crimson liquid. They all have stories behind them. The ancient variety was introduced by the Romans. The Flower of Kent is the apple that fell from a tree and struck the physicist’s head.”

She hoped the children to be more consciously engaged of the environment and the influence we have over it. “To many of them, apples were just things you get at a supermarket, so I was urging them, next time they were out, to look on the bag and see what they’re called and where they were grown. Hopefully it says Kent!”

Cultural Projects Throughout Britain

In London, a participant’s work about extinction will engage visitors looking through Tate Modern on a journey to find the frozen formations that have been lost in recent years. All formations will be drawn on the gallery’s windows and walls using ultraviolet markers. When located, a bell will ring and a reading will be performed to remember that individual formation.

Elsewhere, up in another location, Maddi Nicholson will be putting on a open display about our disconnection from the land, as well as holding a communal feast, prepared with regional food. Over in Newcastle, Uta Kögelsberger is broadcasting her musical project, in which community vocalists undertake a task to perform for vegetation in a local park.

Youth Perspectives

Similar to other artists, a featured creator will be engaging schoolchildren – on the scheduled date she is planning to decorate a cultural venue in kids’ letters and drawings that document their aspirations and concerns for the future. “Youthful expressions are impactful because they’re not as inhibited as mature perspectives,” she says in her public appeal. “The contributions of youth to the world is something truly special and it may stimulate a feeling of duty from us all. Kids are unbiased. They have concerns for tomorrow. But it isn’t meant to be about anxiety – it should be about optimism and us ensuring that they get a future.”

Tributes and Thoughts

Paul Harfleet’s work also resonates for children. As a former drag queen, his feathered initiative involves sketching winged creatures and then dressing up as them – and for the event he is intending to address an iconic figure. He is also staging a itinerant journey of the city, visiting various sites that have been part of his Pansy Project over the recent decades. The project started after he endured multiple occurrences of prejudice on a single day. To counter this, Harfleet decided to plant a pansy at the location of every incident and photograph it – the project has since expanded to incorporate experiences shared by other people across the world. “I leave the pansies there but they don’t often last,” says Harfleet. “Apparently birds consume them, so they’re a very temporary memorial.”

Harfleet chose the pansy not just for the obvious reason – it has long been a slur – but also because its name derives from the French verb, penser, to think. “It was linked to a man who is thoughtful, and that, of course, is a bad quality,” he says.

The plan on the event day is to sow flowers at new locations and also replant flowers in places he has honored before, all the while discussing with those on the guided walk about the incidents and his memories of them. “I’ve recorded quite a few since I last planted,” he says sadly.

Progressing Optimistically

He desires his work – and