Cultural Figures Respond Against the Planetary Crisis: Sowing the Apple That Fell on Newton's Head

In 2015, visionary and advocate Gustav Metzger embarked on one of his ultimate major projects. Known for introducing auto-destructive art, Metzger had dedicated his life to addressing global challenges from nuclear disarmament to ethical eating. In a brief video message, he issued a call for a worldwide initiative to celebrate the natural world.

“I, Gustav Metzger, am asking for your engagement in this international summons for a day of action to remember nature on November 4th, 2015,” he declared, urging makers and thinkers to oppose the continuing disappearance of flora and fauna. “The mission is to make audiences aware of the richness and complexity in nature … and by doing so art will enter realms that are inherently creative.”

The Inception of Environmental Reflection

In this way Remember Nature was born, a day when creatives nationwide produced pieces to the unfolding climate catastrophe. Jo Joelson, who cared for Metzger in his later life, remembers his feeling of immediacy. “I sensed a strong sense of urgency for him at the final chapter,” she says. “I urged him – don’t delay. We shouldn’t hold back for funding or for anyone to approve this. Let’s just do it.”

Ten Years On

A decade on, the initiative hasn’t quite triggered the broad uprising across the arts that Metzger had hoped for, but supporters think its legacy can still be seen in campaigns like Culture Declares and environmental protests, as well as in how artists approach the sustainability of their work. This is the reason she is restaging it to mark its ten-year mark. Part of the featured creators taking part currently are Cornelia Parker and prominent artists. All participants have created visual art, shared messages, and created artworks set to be unveiled on the fourth of November next year.

Sowing Change

When speaking to the artist, she is out in a field in the countryside, assisting with planting apple trees that will develop into a spiral-shaped orchard. Engaging schoolchildren, her project is somewhat artistic and somewhat instructive. As she explains, the preparation and sowing sessions have already included learning about mathematics (spacing the gaps in the orchard), biology (exploring the hereditary traits), and geography (mapping the journeys of how distinct varieties 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 ‘bleeds’ red juice

“Many of the apples were picked because they’ve got amusing labels such as the Duck’s Bill,” says Gallaccio. “We have one apple that ‘bleeds’ crimson liquid. They all have histories attached. The decio apple was brought over by the Romans. The Kentish variety is the apple that dropped off a tree and struck Isaac Newton’s head.”

The artist aimed the children to be more thoughtfully connected of the natural world and the control we have over it. “In their experience, apples were just things you get at a supermarket, so I was encouraging them, next time they were out, to check the packaging and see the variety and where they were grown. Hopefully it says Kent!”

Cultural Projects Across the Country

In London, a participant’s Book of Loss will include attendees looking through an art institution on a mission to find the seven major glaciers that have been lost in recent years. Every ice sheet will be illustrated on the gallery’s windows and walls using ultraviolet markers. Each discovery, a bell will ring and a reading will be held to commemorate that particular glacier.

Elsewhere, up in a northern town, an artist will be hosting a free exhibition about our alienation from the environment, as well as organizing a shared meal, prepared with sustainable ingredients. Further north, a participant is streaming her environmental performance, in which local singers embark on a mission to use music to heal flora in a green space.

Children’s Voices

Similar to other artists, another participant will be collaborating with schoolchildren – on the day itself she is planning to fill Cambridge’s Kettle’s Yard in youth creations that document their dreams and worries for the years ahead. “Youthful expressions are impactful because they’re not as inhibited as mature perspectives,” she says in her recorded message. “What children have to offer to the world is something truly special and hopefully it will inspire a awareness of obligation from each person. Kids are unbiased. They have concerns for tomorrow. But let’s not make it about worry – it should be about optimism and us ensuring that they get a future.”

Remembrance and Reflection

Paul Harfleet’s work also appeals to children. Drawing on past experience, his feathered initiative involves sketching winged creatures and then performing as birds – and for Remember Nature day he is planning to represent a local symbol. He is also staging a guided walk of the city, stopping at places that have been part of his Pansy Project over the last two decades. This endeavor started after he endured three incidents of homophobic abuse on a one occasion. To counter this, Harfleet decided to plant a pansy at the site of each occurrence and document it – the project has since expanded to cover events experienced by other people across the world. “I place the plants there but they fade quickly,” says Harfleet. “Apparently wildlife enjoys them, so they’re a short-lived memorial.”

Harfleet chose the bloom not just for the direct association – it has long been a term of homophobic abuse – but also because its origin is the French verb, penser, to think. “It was linked to a man who is reflective, and that, of course, is a bad quality,” he says.

The project on the event day is to plant pansies at additional sites and also refresh the memorials in places he has honored before, all the while discussing with those on the walking tour about the incidents and his recollections. “We’ve seen quite a few since I last planted,” he says sadly.

Moving Forward with Hope

The artist wishes his work – and