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Back in 2015, artist and activist Gustav Metzger initiated one of his ultimate important works. Known for pioneering art that erases itself, Metzger had spent a lifetime to confronting global challenges from nuclear disarmament to vegetarianism. Via a concise video message, he requested support for a global day of action to honor the environment.

“I call upon you for your participation in this worldwide call for a day of action to commemorate our planet on the fourth of November, 2015,” he stated, encouraging cultural workers to oppose the ongoing loss of species. “Our responsibility is to help the public recall of the abundance and sophistication in nature … and by doing so art will enter realms that are inherently creative.”

The Inception of Nature Remembrance

And so the environmental art day came into being, a day when creatives nationwide developed works to the ongoing environmental crisis. An organizer, who cared for Metzger in his last days, recalls his sense of urgency. “I sensed a profound sense of urgency for him at the final chapter,” she says. “My advice was – don’t delay. Let’s not wait for sponsorship or for anyone to green light this. We should proceed.”

A Decade Later

A decade on, the project may not have sparked the widespread change across the arts that Metzger had hoped for, but supporters think its influence can still be observed in movements like Culture Declares and environmental protests, as well as in how makers handle the environmental impact of their work. That’s why she is relaunching it to mark its decade milestone. Included in the 18 lead artists involved this time are Yu-Chen Wang and Anya Gallaccio. Each has produced imagery, shared messages, and developed pieces set to be presented on November 4, 2025.

Sowing Change

Interviewing one participant, she is out in a field in a rural area, helping plant apple trees that will develop into a spiral-shaped orchard. Working with schoolchildren, her project is part creative piece and half educational workshop. As she explains, the preparation and sowing sessions have already involved learning about mathematics (spacing the planting intervals), science (studying the genetic makeup), and history (tracing the backgrounds of how various cultivars arrived in Britain).

Several the apples were chosen because they’ve got humorous titles such as the Bloody Butcher. We have one apple that ‘bleeds’ red juice

“Several the apples were chosen because they’ve got humorous titles such as the other unusual varieties,” the artist notes. “We have one apple that ‘bleeds’ scarlet-colored sap. Every one carries stories behind them. The decio apple was imported by the Romans. The Flower of Kent is the apple that descended from a tree and hit Isaac Newton’s head.”

Gallaccio wanted the children to be more consciously engaged of the environment and the influence we have over it. “To many of them, apples were just things you find in a supermarket, so I was prompting them, next time they were out, to check the packaging and see the variety and their origin. Perhaps it indicates Kent!”

Cultural Projects Across the Country

Within the city, a participant’s work about extinction will engage visitors looking through 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 gallery’s windows and walls using special pens. When located, a chime will sound and a reading will be conducted to commemorate that particular glacier.

At the same time, up in Barrow-in-Furness, an artist will be presenting a free exhibition about our separation from nature, as well as organizing a community dinner, made using sustainable ingredients. In another city, Uta Kögelsberger is sharing her Some Kind of Love / Forest Choir, in which community vocalists begin a project to use music to heal flora in a local park.

Youth Perspectives

Following this approach, another participant will be collaborating with schoolchildren – on the day itself she is hoping to decorate an art space in youth creations that capture their dreams and worries for the years ahead. “Youthful expressions are compelling because they’re not as inhibited as grown-ups’,” she says in her public appeal. “The contributions of youth to the world is something truly special and it may provoke a feeling of duty from everyone. Youth is pure. They have concerns for tomorrow. But this shouldn’t be about fear – it should be about optimism and us ensuring that they have a tomorrow.”

Remembrance and Reflection

A participant’s work also connects with children. As a former drag queen, his feathered initiative involves sketching winged creatures and then performing as birds – and for the event he is intending to represent an iconic figure. He is also organizing a guided walk of the city, exploring locations that have been part of his Pansy Project over the recent decades. That ongoing series began when he experienced three incidents of prejudice on a one occasion. To counter this, Harfleet decided to plant a pansy at the spot where it happened and record it – the project has since spiralled to cover events experienced by other people across the world. “I leave the pansies there but they fade quickly,” says Harfleet. “Apparently birds consume them, so they’re a short-lived memorial.”

Harfleet chose the flower not just for the clear connection – 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 the event day is to place blooms at additional sites and also renew the tributes in places he has marked earlier, all the while talking to those on the itinerant journey about the incidents and his recollections. “There’s been quite a few after my previous work,” he says with regret.

Moving Forward with Hope

The artist wishes his work – and