ArtPrize is the world’s largest art contest decided by public vote.

Each fall in Grand Rapids, Michigan, artists from around the world showcase their work for a chance to win a $200,000 prize decided by hundreds of thousands of voters.

The ArtPrize Entry "Back to Eden" was a living wall installation that featured nighttime lighting.

This year, LiveWall president Dave MacKenzie will enter his own piece of living art titled Back to Eden.

Dave’s piece challenges the viewer to ask “What if we could reimagine our cities, and shift sustainability from the exception to the norm?”

Back to Eden shows what is possible when living architecture is applied on a larger scale.

ArtPrize attendees crowd around living wall entitled "Back to Eden."

No longer do cities need to be wrapped in drab expanses of concrete.

They can now be decorated in vivid color using plants as paint. Dave uses the LiveWall system as a canvas and 2,500 plants to create a stunning abstract piece.

Section of Back to Eden, a green wall art competition entry planted in 2013.

Back to Eden is intended to show how using living architecture can benefit the city and those that live in it.

The LiveWall system used in this exhibit can sequester carbon, purify air, reduce energy consumption, and provide food for people and wildlife. It does all of this while transforming a building into a canvas for artistic expression.

What:  Back to Eden
11′ x 130′ (1430 square foot) living mural
When:  September 18 – October 6, 2013
Where:  The B.O.B. (Big Old Building)
20 Monroe Ave NW
Grand Rapids, MI
Vote:  Use voting code 54712 – How to Vote

Who’s talking about it:
•  
Grand Rapids Tonight (watch video)
•  Greenroofs.com
•  MLive.com
•  WZZM
•  Living Architecture Monitor