Photo - Jem Selig Freeman
David Murphy - Biography
David Murphy is an award winning, multidisciplinary visual artist who often works at the mysterious juncture of art and science. He has worked extensively in the public art realm, as well as producing a range of ephemeral and performance based works. With wide roaming interests, his arts practice extends to architecture, theatre design, community art as well as cutting edge carbon negative bicycle design and the design of new and hybrid musical instruments.
He has a Fine Arts Degree in painting from RMIT and a Post Graduate Diploma of sculpture from the VCA, as well as studying music extensively in West Africa. In 1996 he established Down Street Studios as an artist run, public art partnership with Cameron Robbins and Anderson Hunt. He has a number of permanent artworks commissioned by Frankston City Council, Hobsons Bay Council and Bass Coast Shire Council, as well as work in numerous private collections. He has made ephemeral and event based works for the City of Melbourne, Melbourne International Festival of the Arts, Queensland Festival of Music and the Woodford Festival to name a few.
Curriculum Vitae
Qualifications
1992 Post Graduate Diploma, Victorian College of the Arts
1987 Bachelor Fine Arts painting/sculpture, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
Recent Work
2020 Sight of Sound - Rubisco x 4, Virtual Residency, The Substation in collaboration with Stephen Grant
2020 Fibonacci’s Genie - programable portrait of DNA at a scale of 1:3,000,000,000
2020 Rubisco 3.5.8 - new work, studio practice, Newport
2019 Sight of Sound - Improvised, fractal, live cymatic/music performance, Due West Festival
Selected Commissions
2020 Fibonacci’s Genie - Commissioned by Hobsons Bay City Council as a part of their 2020 Art Apart program
2018 Charge Hub - interactive visitor phone charging station, Werribee Open Range Zoo,
2017 Gut Feeling - inflatable human gut sculpture and show in collaboration with Born in a Taxi, at Art Play, Birrung Marr
2016 TW16 - bespoke Plycycle for Tony Wheeler, Melbourne
2015 The CUBE - demountable performance space in collaboration with Born in a Taxi, at various festivals across Australia,
2015 Sonic Cubbies - musical cubbies and performance space (Creative Victoria Artists in Schools grant), Spotswood Primary School
2013 Bronze Yarns - Bronze tabletop sculptures telling local stories - commissioned by Bass Coast Shire Council for Coronet Bay, Victoria
2010 Banksia Gates - feature gates for George Pentland Botanic Gardens, Frankston, Victoria
2009 The Outfall - public art commission for Frankston City Council
2006 Nan’s Desk - public art commission for Frankston City Council
2005 Raphael Stone Circles - public art commission for Frankston City Council, in collaboration with Cameron Robbins
2004 Sweetwater Creek intervention - public art commission for Frankston City Council
2004 H2O Stint Map - public art commission for Hobsons Bay Council
2000 NYE2K - Queenscliff millennial celebrations, Queenscliff Council
1995 The Globe - Southgate Melbourne
Selected Group Shows
2018 Handmade Bike Show, Damu Plycycles, Meat Market, North Melbourne
2017 Enlighten, White Night, Melbourne
2004 Helen Lempriere National Sculpture Award, Werribee Mansion, Werribee
2003 From Photovoltaics to Forestry, Burragorang International Artists Camp, N.S.W
2003 Instrument Building, Linden Gallery, St. Kilda
1998 The Bridge: Construction in Process IV - Opening ceremony, Double Venturi Fire, with Down Street Studios
Selected Sound Works and Instruments
2019 Sight of Sound - Improvised, fractal, live cymatic/music performance, Due West Festival
2013 Bush Violins, Black Arm Band, “Ngangwurra Means Heart”, Melbourne
2009 Bush Drum Kits, Black Arm Band, “Dirtsong”, Melbourne
2006 Bringing out the Organ, Double Venturi – The Current, Melbourne Town Hall
2003 The Weather Harp, City of Melbourne Lane-way commission
2002 The Fence, collaboration with Michael Havir, Burra Gorge, SA.
Selected Theatre/Performance Design
2018 Rotary Weather Harp, collaboration with Elision and Liza Lim, Recital Centre, Melbourne
2016 Live Street Cinema, Federation Square, with Jessica Wilson and Dario Vacirca
2007 The Wishing Well, Woodford Festival, collaboration with Linsey Pollak
2002 The Teratology Project , PANCH Hospital with I.C.E. Productions
2000 The Enormous Club, with “Born in a Taxi”, Adelaide Fringe and Theatreworks
1998 Ostinato, with “Born In A Taxi”, Theatreworks St. Kilda
1996 Subterrain, Melbourne International Festival of the Arts
1994 Buckley’s 44, seminal street jazz band of new musical instruments, various Melbourne festivals
Awards
2004 People’s Choice Award - Helen Lempriere National Sculpture Award
1972 Second Prize, Springvale Primary School Art Show
Project Management
2003 /09 Project manager, architect and builder for the subdivision and development of three, state of the art, sustainably designed houses in Newport, Victoria