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Back in 2015, artist and activist Gustav Metzger initiated one of his last important works. Recognized for introducing self-destructive creations, Metzger had dedicated his life to responding to societal issues from anti-nuclear advocacy to ethical eating. Via a concise video message, he requested support for a international event to honor the environment.

“This is my appeal for your engagement in this global appeal for a day of action to remember nature on November 4th, 2015,” he declared, inviting artists and creatives to stand against the steady eradication of flora and fauna. “Our responsibility is to make audiences aware of the richness and complexity in nature … and by doing so creativity will explore realms that are naturally imaginative.”

The Creation of Environmental Reflection

In this way the environmental art day was established, a day when artists across the country created responses to the unfolding climate catastrophe. One of the curators, who worked closely with Metzger in his last days, notes his drive for action. “I sensed a profound sense of urgency for him at the close of his days,” she says. “I urged him – let’s not mess around. Let’s not wait for sponsorship or for anyone to approve this. We should proceed.”

A Decade Later

Ten years later, Remember Nature hasn’t quite sparked the widespread change across the arts that Metzger had hoped for, but organizers feel its impact can still be felt in movements like artist-led declarations and climate activism networks, as well as in how artists approach the environmental impact of their methods. This is the reason she is reviving it to commemorate its decade milestone. Among the 18 lead artists taking part currently are A Man Called Adam and other notable figures. All participants have produced imagery, recorded calls to action, and developed pieces set to be revealed on the fourth of November next year.

Planting Hope

Interviewing the artist, she is out in a field in a rural area, helping plant apple trees that will grow to form a circular grove. Collaborating with schoolchildren, her project is half artwork and somewhat instructive. She describes, the planning and planting sessions have already included learning about mathematics (spacing the planting intervals), biology (exploring the apple’s DNA), and geography (researching the journeys of how distinct varieties were introduced to England).

Several the apples were picked because they’ve got funny names such as the other unusual varieties. We have one apple that ‘bleeds’ crimson liquid

“A lot of the apples were picked because they’ve got funny names such as the Bloody Butcher,” the artist notes. “We have one apple that releases crimson liquid. Every one carries background narratives. The decio apple was imported by the Romans. The Flower of Kent is the apple that dropped off a tree and struck Isaac Newton’s head.”

She hoped the children to be more thoughtfully connected of nature and the influence we have over it. “In their experience, 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 their origin. Ideally it reads Kent!”

Artistic Responses Across the Country

At the capital, one artist’s project on disappearance will include attendees exploring Tate Modern on a mission to find the frozen formations that have been lost in modern times. All formations will be illustrated on the gallery’s windows and walls using ultraviolet markers. Whenever one is found, a alert will occur and a recitation will be conducted to remember that specific ice mass.

Meanwhile, up in Barrow-in-Furness, a creative will be putting on a free exhibition about our separation from nature, as well as hosting a communal feast, cooked from regional food. Over in Newcastle, Uta Kögelsberger is sharing her musical project, in which local singers undertake a task to perform for vegetation in a local park.

Youth Perspectives

Similar to other artists, a featured creator will be collaborating with schoolchildren – on the day itself 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 powerful because they’re not as inhibited as mature perspectives,” she says in her call to action video. “The contributions of youth to the world is something truly special and hopefully it will provoke a sense of responsibility from each person. Kids are unbiased. They have fears about the future. But let’s not make it about worry – it should be about hope and our responsibility that they see a better world.”

Tributes and Thoughts

A participant’s work also appeals to children. Drawing on past experience, his Birds Can Fly involves illustrating avians and then embodying them – and for the event he is intending to address Liverpool’s famous Liver bird. He is also organizing a itinerant journey of the city, stopping at places that have been part of his ongoing series over the past twenty years. The project commenced following he experienced multiple occurrences of homophobic abuse on a single day. To counter this, Harfleet decided to sow a flower at the spot where it happened and photograph it – the project has since spiralled to incorporate experiences experienced by other people across the world. “I leave the pansies there but they are temporary,” says Harfleet. “Apparently wildlife enjoys them, so they’re a very temporary memorial.”

He picked the flower not just for the clear connection – it has long been a derogatory label – but also because its etymology comes from the French verb, penser, to think. “It was linked to a man who is thoughtful, and that, of course, is a terrible thing,” he says.

The intention on Remember Nature day is to plant pansies at new locations and also refresh the memorials in places he has marked earlier, all the while conversing with those on the guided walk about the occurrences and his recollections. “We’ve seen quite a few since I last planted,” he says with regret.

Advancing Positively

The artist wishes his work – and