Artist Dave MacKenzie used the LiveWall vertical garden system to bring living art to the world's largest publicly voted art contest. His piece, breathe placed in the top 25 of over 1,600 entries.

1. DAVE MACKENZIE IS THE
LIVING ART PIONEER
WHO CREATED ‘BREATHE’

2. 31 YEARS AGO, DAVE STARTED HIS
CAREER IN HORTICULTURE,
OPENING HIS NURSERY,
HORTECH IN SPRING LAKE, MI.

3. ABOUT A DECADE AGO,
DAVE STARTED LOOKING
BEYOND TRADITIONAL
LANDSCAPING

4. DAVE’s VISION:
RESTORE NATURE TO OUR BUILT
ENVIRONMENT BY CLOAKING
BUILDINGS IN GREENERY

5. IN 2007, DAVE INTRODUCED LIVEROOF,
A PLANTED GREEN ROOF SYSTEM
THAT HAS GREENED OVER
1000 BUILDINGS WORLDWIDE
CATHEDRAL SQUARE – DIOCESE OF GRAND RAPIDS

6. AS SOON AS DAVE INTRODUCED
LIVEROOF, DESIGNERS AND BUILDING
OWNERS PRESSED HIM TO DEVELOP A
BETTER LIVING WALL SYSTEM
GRAND RAPIDS DOWNTOWN MARKET

7. IN 2012, AFTER NEARLY FIVE YEARS OF
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT,
DAVE LAUNCHED THE LIVEWALL
OUTDOOR LIVING WALL SYSTEM
THE RAPID CENTRAL STATION

8. IN 2013, DAVE INTRODUCED
LIVEWALL INDOOR, A
DRIP-FREE
LIVING WALL SYSTEM
GRAND RAPIDS DOWNTOWN MARKET 2ND FLOOR

9. IN 2013, DAVE ALSO ENTERED ARTPRIZE
FOR THE FIRST TIME, AND
‘BACK TO EDEN’ FINISHED IN THE
TOP 25 ENTRIES BY POPULAR VOTE

10. THIS YEAR, DAVE FURTHER PUSHED
THE ENVELOPE, ENTERING A
BIGGER AND BOLDER
WORK OF LIVING ART

11. IN DESIGNING ‘BREATHE,’ DAVE
SOUGHT TO ILLUSTRATE THE
CRITICAL ROLE PLANTS PLAY IN
OUR ABILITY TO SURVIVE

12. THE EAST-FACING GRAPHIC SPELLS
BREATHE O2 (OXYGEN)
WITH WHITE FLOWERS

13. BECAUSE THE VITAL PROCESS OF
PHOTOSYNTHESIS OCCURS IN THE LEAVES,
BREATHE FEATURES GRAPHICS OF
MICHIGAN NATIVE TREES
CATALPA (NORTH SIDE) OAK, BEECH, MAPLE (WEST SIDE)

14. BREATHE IS 22’ TALL
AT ITS PEAK

15. BREATHE TOOK
OVER 3 WEEKS
TO CONSTRUCT

16. BREATHE IS
NEARLY
150’ LONG

17. ABOUT THE LIVEWALL SYSTEM,
THE CANVAS OF ‘BREATHE’…

18. WHAT’S UNDERNEATH:
WINDOW-BOX STYLE PLANTERS

19. How Does it Work?
HOW IT WORKS:
RAIN-LIKE RAIL DELIVERY
WATER TRAVELS THROUGH
HOLLOW ALUMINUM RAILS
TO SPRAY NOZZLES ABOVE
EACH TIER OF PLANTERS

20. WHERE IT’S MADE:
LOCALLY SOURCED
AND MANUFACTURED
COMPONENTS

21. PLANTS WERE PLANTED IN APRIL,
AND WERE GROWN OFFSITE UNTIL
PLANTING, WHICH TOOK A WEEK

22. AT NIGHT, SEE THE WALL
IN A DIFFERENT LIGHT

23. BREATHE INCORPORATES ROPE LIGHTING,
WHICH HELPS TO HIGHLIGHT THE
IMPORTANCE OF LIGHT IN
THE PROCESS OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS