The work of Michael Trudgeon and Crowd Productions 1985-2008
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19 February to 8 May 2009
Planex 2A Kipling Street, Richmond, Victoria
For the first time in Australia Planex presents the design work of Michael Trudgeon and Crowd Productions. Celebrated in a survey exhibition curated by Planex creative director Simone LeAmon the Planex showroom plays host to a unique collection of prototypes, architectural and graphic design projects, uncovering the breadth of work achieved by one of Australia’s foremost trans-disciplinary practices between 1983 to 2008.
Michael Trudgeon’s formal architectural education began at RMIT University in Melbourne in the mid 1970’s. He later turned to magazine publishing, theatre production, electronic music practice, graphic design, advertising design, multi-media and website production, industrial design and teaching. Michael co-founded Crowd Productions with Jane Joyce and Andrew Maine in 1983 as a trans-disciplinary design and communication practice. They began by publishing a design and culture magazine titled Crowd building up a network of thinkers, designers and suppliers across Australia, the U.K and U.S.A. Crowd then focused on design projects for private clients in the areas of architecture, strategic design and planning, multi media and interface design. In 1987 Crowd set up its second office in London. In recent years Crowd has focused on digitally enhanced environments and prototyping methodologies for commercial architectural projects.
In 1998 Crowd Productions was selected for the Seppelt Contemporary Arts Awards at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney for their project HyperHouse a vision of a dwelling which can be adjusted to cope with the fluidity of domestic living and social life. In 2007 Crowd was a finalist in the Japan Architect ‘Planless House’ competition. Other projects include HyperKitchen a flexible kitchen module, digital cinema capsules for the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, Federation Square Melbourne and flagship cinema complexes for Hoyts at Melbourne Central and Blacktown in Sydney.
