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In 2015, artist and activist Gustav Metzger initiated one of his final significant endeavors. Recognized for pioneering art that erases itself, Metzger had dedicated his life to responding to societal issues from nuclear disarmament to vegetarianism. Through a short video message, he requested support for a global day of action to celebrate the natural world.

“This is my appeal for your involvement in this international summons for a day of action to commemorate our planet on 4 November 2015,” he announced, encouraging cultural workers to stand against the ongoing loss of living beings. “Our responsibility is to make audiences aware of the abundance and sophistication in nature … and by doing so art will enter domains that are inherently creative.”

The Creation of Remember Nature

Thus Remember Nature was established, a day when creatives nationwide developed works to the escalating planetary emergency. One of the curators, who worked closely with Metzger in his final years, notes his sense of urgency. “There was a strong sense of urgency for him at the close of his days,” she says. “I just said – let’s not mess around. We shouldn’t hold back for sponsorship or for anyone to approve this. Let’s just do it.”

After Ten Years

After ten years, Remember Nature may not have sparked the widespread change across the arts that Metzger had envisioned, but Joelson believes its impact can still be felt in initiatives like Culture Declares and Extinction Rebellion, as well as in how creatives consider the eco-friendliness of their practices. This is the reason she is relaunching it to celebrate its 10-year anniversary. Part of the 18 lead artists taking part currently are Cornelia Parker and Anya Gallaccio. All participants have created visual art, shared messages, and produced installations set to be presented on November 4, 2025.

Cultivating Awareness

When speaking to one participant, she is working outdoors in a rural area, helping plant apple trees that will create a circular grove. Engaging schoolchildren, her project is half artwork and half educational workshop. According to her, the preparation and sowing sessions have already included learning about measurements (spacing the gaps in the orchard), science (exploring the genetic makeup), and history (mapping the journeys of how different apples were introduced to England).

A lot of the apples were selected because they’ve got humorous titles such as the Duck’s Bill. We have one apple that produces red juice

“A lot of the apples were chosen because they’ve got funny names such as the Duck’s Bill,” the artist notes. “We have one apple that releases scarlet-colored sap. They all have background narratives. The decio apple was introduced by the Romans. The local breed is the apple that dropped off a tree and hit the scientist’s head.”

The artist aimed the children to be more thoughtfully connected of the natural world and the control we have over it. “In their experience, apples were just things you get at a supermarket, so I was prompting them, on their next shopping trip, to read the label and see the variety and their origin. Hopefully it says Kent!”

Artistic Responses Across the Country

Within the city, a participant’s work about extinction will engage visitors exploring an art institution on a mission to find the frozen formations that have been lost in recent years. All formations will be illustrated on the museum surfaces using special pens. Each discovery, a alert will occur and a performance will be held to commemorate that particular glacier.

At the same time, up in another location, an artist will be putting on a public show about our separation from nature, as well as hosting a community dinner, cooked from organic, local produce. Further north, Uta Kögelsberger is sharing her musical project, in which community vocalists embark on a mission to sing plants back to health in a local park.

Youth Perspectives

Similar to other artists, a featured creator will be working with schoolchildren – on the day itself she is aiming to fill an art space in kids’ letters and drawings that capture their aspirations and concerns for the tomorrow. “Youthful expressions are compelling because they’re not as inhibited as grown-ups’,” she says in her public appeal. “What children have to offer to the world is something truly special and hopefully it will inspire a sense of responsibility from each person. Youth is pure. They have fears about the future. But this shouldn’t be about anxiety – it should be about optimism and our responsibility that they see a better world.”

Remembrance and Reflection

Paul Harfleet’s work also resonates for children. As a former drag queen, his feathered initiative involves drawing birds and then embodying them – and for Remember Nature day he is aiming to address an iconic figure. He is also conducting a guided walk of the city, exploring locations that have been part of his long-term work over the recent decades. The project began when he experienced 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 record it – the project has since expanded to include incidents reported by other people across the world. “I leave the pansies there but they fade quickly,” says Harfleet. “It seems birds consume them, so they’re a short-lived memorial.”

He picked 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. “People connected it with a man who is thoughtful, and that, of course, is a bad quality,” he says.

The plan on Remember Nature day is to plant pansies at additional sites and also replant flowers in places he has marked earlier, all the while discussing with those on the guided walk about the incidents and his recollections. “I’ve recorded quite a few since I last planted,” he says mournfully.

Advancing Positively

The artist wishes his work – and