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During 2015, artist and activist Gustav Metzger embarked on one of his ultimate major projects. Famed for pioneering self-destructive creations, Metzger had dedicated his life to confronting human struggles from nuclear disarmament to plant-based living. Via a concise video message, he requested support for a worldwide initiative to remember nature.

“I call upon you for your participation in this international summons for a day of action to remember nature on the fourth of November, 2015,” he stated, inviting artists and creatives to resist the steady eradication of living beings. “The mission is to remind people of the richness and complexity in nature … and by doing so the arts will venture into domains that are fundamentally innovative.”

The Birth of Nature Remembrance

And so Remember Nature was established, a day when artists across the country produced pieces to the ongoing environmental crisis. Jo Joelson, who supported Metzger in his last days, remembers his drive for action. “There was a strong sense of urgency for him at the end of his life,” she says. “I just said – we must act now. Let’s not wait for financial support or for anyone to green light this. We should proceed.”

After Ten Years

Ten years later, the initiative may not have incited the mass movement across the arts that Metzger had dreamed of, but organizers feel its influence can still be seen in campaigns like cultural advocacy groups and Extinction Rebellion, as well as in how creatives consider the sustainability of their work. This is the reason she is reviving it to commemorate its decade milestone. Part of the featured creators participating now are Yu-Chen Wang and other notable figures. All participants have designed posters, shared messages, and produced installations set to be presented on the fourth of November next year.

Planting Hope

Interviewing Anya Gallaccio, she is working outdoors in the countryside, cultivating apple trees that will grow to form a coiled garden. Collaborating with schoolchildren, her project is half artwork and somewhat instructive. According to her, the design and cultivation sessions have already involved learning about maths (spacing the planting intervals), science (exploring the genetic makeup), and history (tracing the stories of how different apples were introduced to England).

Several the apples were picked because they’ve got amusing labels such as the other unusual varieties. We have one apple that produces red juice

“Many of the apples were picked because they’ve got humorous titles such as the Bloody Butcher,” she explains. “We have one apple that releases red juice. They all have background narratives. The historical cultivar was introduced by the Romans. The local breed is the apple that dropped off a tree and hit the physicist’s head.”

The artist aimed the children to be more consciously engaged of the natural world and the power we have over it. “To many of them, apples were just things you get at a supermarket, so I was encouraging them, when they go shopping, to check the packaging and see what they’re called and their origin. Ideally it reads Kent!”

Artistic Responses Throughout Britain

In London, one artist’s work about extinction will engage visitors searching a major gallery on a quest to find the frozen formations that have been disappeared in recent years. All formations will be illustrated on the museum surfaces using special pens. When located, a bell will ring and a reading will be held to remember that particular glacier.

At the same time, up in a northern town, Maddi Nicholson will be hosting a public show about our alienation from the environment, as well as organizing a communal feast, cooked from regional food. Over in Newcastle, an artist is broadcasting her Some Kind of Love / Forest Choir, in which community vocalists begin a project to perform for vegetation in Newcastle’s Jesmond Dene.

Youth Perspectives

Following this approach, Cornelia Parker will be working with schoolchildren – on the scheduled date she is hoping to cover an art space in youth creations that document their hopes and fears for the future. “Youthful expressions are powerful because they’re not as trammelled as mature perspectives,” she says in her public appeal. “What children have to offer to the world is something distinctive and perhaps it can stimulate a feeling of duty from each person. Kids are unbiased. They have fears about the future. But it isn’t meant to be about fear – it should be about positivity and us ensuring that they get a future.”

Memorials and Memory

Another artist’s work also connects with children. As a former drag queen, his Birds Can Fly involves illustrating avians and then embodying them – and for Remember Nature day he is aiming to represent Liverpool’s famous Liver bird. He is also conducting a guided walk of the city, exploring locations that have been part of his Pansy Project over the past twenty years. The project started after he endured several events of homophobic abuse on a one occasion. As a reaction, Harfleet decided to plant a pansy at the location of every incident and document it – the project has since spiralled to include incidents reported by other people across the world. “I place the plants there but they fade quickly,” says Harfleet. “Reportedly birds consume them, so they’re a very temporary memorial.”

He picked the pansy not just for the clear connection – it has long been a slur – but also because its etymology comes from the French verb, penser, to think. “It was linked to a man who is contemplative, and that, of course, is a bad quality,” he says.

The intention on Remember Nature day is to sow flowers at fresh spots and also refresh the memorials in places he has honored before, all the while talking to those on the walking tour about the events and his personal experiences. “We’ve seen quite a few since I last planted,” he says with regret.

Moving Forward with Hope

Harfleet hopes his work – and