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Back in 2015, visionary and advocate Gustav Metzger embarked on one of his last significant endeavors. Recognized for introducing auto-destructive art, Metzger had spent a lifetime to confronting societal issues from nuclear disarmament to plant-based living. Via a concise video message, he issued a call for a global day of action to honor the environment.

“This is my appeal for your participation in this worldwide call for a day of action to commemorate our planet on 4 November 2015,” he announced, urging makers and thinkers to stand against the continuing disappearance of flora and fauna. “Our responsibility is to help the public recall of the diversity and intricacy in nature … and by doing so the arts will venture into territories that are inherently creative.”

The Inception of Nature Remembrance

Thus the environmental art day was established, a day when cultural practitioners throughout Britain created responses to the ongoing environmental crisis. One of the curators, who worked closely with Metzger in his last days, recalls his sense of urgency. “He had a strong sense of urgency for him at the close of his days,” she says. “My advice was – we must act now. Let’s not wait for sponsorship or for anyone to authorize this. Take action immediately.”

A Decade Later

Ten years later, the initiative hasn’t quite sparked the widespread change across the arts that Metzger had hoped for, but organizers feel its impact can still be seen in movements like artist-led declarations and environmental protests, as well as in how makers handle the eco-friendliness of their work. That’s why she is relaunching it to mark its 10-year anniversary. Among the 18 lead artists taking part currently are Cornelia Parker and Anya Gallaccio. Each has created visual art, shared messages, and produced installations set to be revealed on 4 November 2025.

Cultivating Awareness

In conversation with the artist, she is working outdoors in a rural area, assisting with planting apple trees that will create a circular grove. Collaborating with schoolchildren, her project is somewhat artistic and part learning experience. She describes, the planning and planting sessions have already included learning about mathematics (measuring out the gaps in the orchard), biology (exploring the hereditary traits), and origins (mapping the stories of how distinct varieties were introduced to England).

Several the apples were picked because they’ve got amusing labels such as the Duck’s Bill. We have one apple that produces crimson liquid

“A lot of the apples were selected because they’ve got funny names such as the Bloody Butcher,” the artist notes. “We have one apple that produces crimson liquid. They all have histories attached. The ancient variety was brought over by the Romans. The local breed is the apple that descended from a tree and hit the scientist’s head.”

The artist aimed the children to be more actively aware of the natural world and the power we have over it. “For a lot of them, apples were just things you find in a supermarket, so I was prompting them, on their next shopping trip, to check the packaging and see the variety and the source. Ideally it reads Kent!”

Artistic Responses Across the Country

At the capital, Youngsook Choi’s Book of Loss will involve participants searching an art institution on a quest to find the seven major glaciers that have been disappeared in modern times. All formations will be illustrated on the gallery’s windows and walls using special pens. Whenever one is found, a chime will sound and a recitation will be conducted to commemorate that specific ice mass.

Meanwhile, up in a northern town, Maddi Nicholson will be hosting a public show about our alienation from the environment, as well as hosting a shared meal, made using organic, local produce. Further north, a participant is streaming her musical project, in which community vocalists undertake a task to use music to heal flora in a green space.

Young Insights

Like Gallaccio, another participant will be engaging schoolchildren – on the scheduled date she is planning to fill an art space in children’s artwork that express their hopes and fears for the future. “Youthful expressions are compelling because they’re not as restricted as mature perspectives,” she says in her recorded message. “The contributions of youth to the world is something distinctive and perhaps it can stimulate a sense of responsibility from us all. Kids are unbiased. They have fears about the future. But let’s not make it about fear – it should be about hope and making sure that they see a better world.”

Tributes and Thoughts

A participant’s work also appeals to 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 aiming to tackle a local symbol. He is also conducting a guided walk of the city, visiting various sites that have been part of his Pansy Project over the recent decades. This endeavor started after he experienced multiple occurrences of homophobic abuse on a particular day. In response, Harfleet decided to sow a flower at the site of each occurrence and document it – the project has since spiralled to incorporate experiences shared by other people across the world. “The flowers remain there but they don’t often last,” says Harfleet. “It seems birds consume them, so they’re a ephemeral memorial.”

Harfleet chose the pansy not just for the obvious reason – it has long been a slur – but also because its etymology comes from the French verb, penser, to think. “People connected it with a man who is reflective, and that, of course, is a negative trait,” he says.

The intention on 4 November is to sow flowers at new locations and also replant flowers in places he has marked earlier, all the while talking to those on the itinerant journey about the events and his personal experiences. “There’s been quite a few following earlier installations,” he says sadly.

Moving Forward with Hope

The artist wishes his work – and