Artists Respond In the Face of the Environmental Crisis: Planting the Fruit That Fell on Isaac Newton's Head

Back in 2015, artist and activist Gustav Metzger embarked on one of his final major projects. Famed for introducing auto-destructive art, Metzger had dedicated his life to confronting human struggles from anti-nuclear advocacy to ethical eating. Through a short video message, he made a plea for a worldwide initiative to remember nature.

“This is my appeal for your involvement in this worldwide call for a day of action to commemorate our planet on November 4th, 2015,” he stated, urging makers and thinkers to stand against the continuing disappearance of species. “Our task is to remind people of the richness and complexity in nature … and by doing so creativity will explore domains that are inherently creative.”

The Birth of Environmental Reflection

Thus the Nature Remembrance initiative came into being, a day when cultural practitioners throughout Britain produced pieces to the unfolding climate catastrophe. An organizer, who supported Metzger in his later life, recalls his feeling of immediacy. “I sensed a strong sense of urgency for him at the final chapter,” she says. “My advice was – don’t delay. No need to pause for financial support or for anyone to approve this. We should proceed.”

A Decade Later

A decade on, the initiative hasn’t quite triggered the broad uprising across the arts that Metzger had dreamed of, but supporters think its influence can still be seen in initiatives like cultural advocacy groups and environmental protests, as well as in how makers handle the environmental impact of their work. For this purpose she is restaging it to commemorate its ten-year mark. Part of the 18 lead artists involved this time are A Man Called Adam and prominent artists. They have all produced imagery, made video appeals, and created artworks set to be unveiled on November 4, 2025.

Sowing Change

Interviewing the artist, she is on site in Kent, helping plant apple trees that will develop into a circular grove. Collaborating with schoolchildren, her project is half artwork and somewhat instructive. She describes, the design and cultivation sessions have already included learning about mathematics (calculating the planting intervals), biology (discussing the apple’s DNA), and origins (tracing the journeys of how distinct varieties came to the UK).

Many of the apples were chosen because they’ve got amusing labels such as the Bloody Butcher. We have one apple that ‘bleeds’ red juice

“Many of the apples were chosen because they’ve got humorous titles such as the Bloody Butcher,” the artist notes. “We have one apple that produces crimson liquid. They all have background narratives. The ancient variety was introduced by the Romans. The local breed is the apple that descended from a tree and struck Isaac Newton’s head.”

The artist aimed the children to be more consciously engaged of the environment and the power we have over it. “In their experience, apples were just things you find in a supermarket, so I was prompting them, next time they were out, to look on the bag and see what they’re called and their origin. Hopefully it says Kent!”

Artistic Responses Across the Country

At the capital, one artist’s Book of Loss will include attendees exploring Tate Modern on a mission to find the ice masses that have been disappeared in modern times. Every ice sheet will be drawn on the gallery’s windows and walls using invisible ink. Whenever one is found, a chime will sound and a performance will be held to commemorate that particular glacier.

Meanwhile, up in another location, an artist will be hosting a public show about our disconnection from the land, as well as holding a communal feast, prepared with regional food. Over in Newcastle, Uta Kögelsberger is broadcasting her musical project, in which regional performers begin a project to use music to heal flora in Newcastle’s Jesmond Dene.

Youth Perspectives

Following this approach, another participant will be engaging schoolchildren – on the actual event she is planning to fill Cambridge’s Kettle’s Yard in youth creations that document their aspirations and concerns for the years ahead. “Youthful expressions are impactful because they’re not as trammelled as mature perspectives,” she says in her public appeal. “Young people’s input to the world is something truly special and it may inspire a sense of responsibility from us all. Children are innocent. They have anxieties about what’s next. But it isn’t meant to be about anxiety – it should be about positivity and us ensuring that they get a future.”

Tributes and Thoughts

Paul Harfleet’s work also resonates for children. As a former drag queen, his feathered initiative involves sketching winged creatures and then embodying them – and for Remember Nature day he is planning to address a local symbol. He is also organizing a guided walk of the city, stopping at places that have been part of his long-term work over the recent decades. That ongoing series began when he endured multiple occurrences of discrimination on a single day. As a reaction, Harfleet decided to place a bloom at the location of every incident and photograph it – the project has since grown to cover events shared by other people across the world. “The flowers remain there but they fade quickly,” says Harfleet. “Reportedly pigeons like to eat them, so they’re a ephemeral memorial.”

He picked the bloom not just for the obvious reason – it has long been a derogatory label – but also because its name derives from the French verb, penser, to think. “People connected it with a man who is thoughtful, and that, of course, is a terrible thing,” he says.

The project on 4 November is to sow flowers at fresh spots and also renew the tributes in places he has marked earlier, all the while conversing with those on the walking tour about the incidents and his recollections. “We’ve seen quite a few after my previous work,” he says sadly.

Advancing Positively

The artist wishes his work – and