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During 2015, artist and activist Gustav Metzger launched one of his last significant endeavors. Recognized for pioneering art that erases itself, Metzger had devoted his career to confronting global challenges from anti-nuclear advocacy to vegetarianism. In a brief video message, he made a plea for a global day of action to celebrate the natural world.

“This is my appeal for your participation in this global appeal for a day of action to commemorate our planet on the fourth of November, 2015,” he declared, urging artists and creatives to oppose the continuing disappearance of flora and fauna. “Our task is to remind people of the abundance and sophistication in nature … and by doing so the arts will venture into domains that are fundamentally innovative.”

The Birth of Remember Nature

In this way Remember Nature was established, a day when cultural practitioners throughout Britain developed works to the unfolding climate catastrophe. Jo Joelson, who cared for Metzger in his last days, notes his drive for action. “I sensed a strong sense of urgency for him at the final chapter,” she says. “I just said – don’t delay. Let’s not wait for funding or for anyone to approve this. Take action immediately.”

Ten Years On

Ten years later, the project did not triggered the broad uprising across the arts that Metzger had envisioned, but Joelson believes its impact can still be observed in movements like Culture Declares and climate activism networks, as well as in how makers handle the eco-friendliness of their practices. That’s why she is restaging it to celebrate its decade milestone. Included in the 18 lead artists taking part currently are A Man Called Adam and Anya Gallaccio. They have all produced imagery, shared messages, and created artworks set to be presented on the fourth of November next year.

Cultivating Awareness

When speaking to the artist, she is working outdoors in the countryside, cultivating apple trees that will develop into a coiled garden. Collaborating with schoolchildren, her project is part creative piece and half educational workshop. According to her, the design and cultivation sessions have already incorporated learning about mathematics (spacing the gaps in the orchard), genetics (exploring the hereditary traits), and origins (tracing the journeys of how various cultivars arrived in Britain).

Many of the apples were selected because they’ve got humorous titles such as the Bloody Butcher. We have one apple that releases red juice

“Many of the apples were picked because they’ve got funny names such as the Duck’s Bill,” she explains. “We have one apple that produces scarlet-colored sap. Each has background narratives. The decio apple was introduced 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 consciously engaged of the environment and the control we have over it. “To many of them, apples were just things you find in a supermarket, so I was encouraging them, next time they were out, to check the packaging and see what they’re called and where they were grown. Hopefully it says Kent!”

Creative Initiatives Nationwide

Within the city, one artist’s work about extinction will involve participants looking through an art institution on a quest to find the frozen formations that have been lost in the past decade. Every ice sheet will be illustrated on the museum surfaces using invisible ink. Each discovery, a bell will ring and a recitation will be conducted to honor that particular glacier.

Elsewhere, up in another location, a creative will be hosting a open display about our disconnection from the land, as well as hosting a shared meal, cooked from regional food. Further north, Uta Kögelsberger is broadcasting her musical project, in which regional performers embark on a mission to perform for vegetation in a local park.

Children’s Voices

Similar to other artists, Cornelia Parker will be working with schoolchildren – on the actual event she is aiming to cover an art space in children’s artwork that document their hopes and fears for the tomorrow. “Children’s words and images are impactful because they’re not as restricted as adults’,” she says in her recorded message. “The contributions of youth to the world is something truly special and hopefully it will stimulate a sense of responsibility from us all. Kids are unbiased. They have anxieties about what’s next. 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

A participant’s work also connects with children. Drawing on past experience, his Birds Can Fly involves drawing birds and then dressing up as them – and for the event he is intending to tackle an iconic figure. He is also organizing a walking tour of the city, visiting various sites that have been part of his ongoing series over the past twenty years. The project commenced following he endured three incidents of homophobic abuse on a particular day. As a reaction, Harfleet decided to plant a pansy at the site of each occurrence and photograph it – the project has since spiralled to cover events shared by other people across the world. “I leave the pansies there but they are temporary,” says Harfleet. “Reportedly wildlife enjoys them, so they’re a short-lived memorial.”

The artist selected the pansy not just for the direct association – it has long been a slur – but also because its origin is 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 plan on Remember Nature day is to plant pansies at fresh spots and also refresh the memorials in places he has previously memorialised, all the while discussing with those on the itinerant journey about the occurrences and his memories of them. “There’s been quite a few since I last planted,” he says sadly.

Advancing Positively

He desires his work – and