David Trubridge
{{Short description|New Zealand designer}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2014}}{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2014}}
{{multiple issues|
{{tone|date=November 2012}}
{{BLP sources|date=November 2024}}
}}
{{Infobox person
| name = David Trubridge
| image = David Trubridge ONZM (cropped).jpg
| alt =
| caption = Trubridge in 2019
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1951|01|14|df=yes}}
| birth_place = England. United Kingdom
| death_date =
| death_place =
| other_names =
| citizenship = British
| occupation = Furniture and lighting design
| years_active =
| known_for =
| notable_works =
}}
David Geoffrey Trubridge (born 14 January 1951) is a furniture designer based in Whakatu, New Zealand. He designs lighting and furniture, with a focus on sustainable materials.{{cite web |title=David Trubridge lighting |url=https://wakanine.com/david-trubridge/ |website=WakaNine |access-date=20 December 2024}}
Early life and education
Trubridge graduated from Newcastle University in 1972 with a degree in Naval Architecture. He then worked as a forester in rural Northumberland for ten years, where he learned how to make furniture. His designs were shown in the UK, including at the Victoria and Albert Museum and St. Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh.{{Cite web |title=David Trubridge - Designer Profile |url=https://www.stylepark.com/en/designer/david-trubridge |access-date=2022-09-16 |website=Stylepark |language=en}}
Career
Trubridge's works have been featured in exhibitions at Dwell on Design in Los Angeles as well as Wanted Design in New York City.{{citation needed|date=December 2024}} Since 2006, he has participated in the Milan Furniture Fair.
In 2007, in conjunction with the Natural Art Museum and the United Nations, Trubridge exhibited "On Thin Ice" at the Nobel Peace Centre. Shown in Oslo, Brussels, Monaco and Chicago, this sculptural investigation into climate change won a Green Leaf Award.{{citation needed|date=December 2024}}
In 2008, Trubridge was listed by French magazine L'Express as one of the "Top 15 Designers in the World".{{Cite web |title=Driven By A Strong Environmentally Conscious Philosophy |url=https://davidtrubridge.com/au/about/david |access-date=2023-11-28 |website=David Trubridge |language=en}}
File:David trubridge, lampadari icarus e sola, anni 2000, 01.JPG, Paris]]
In the 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours, Trubridge was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to design.{{cite web |date=3 June 2019 |title=Queen's Birthday Honours List 2019. |url=https://dpmc.govt.nz/publications/queens-birthday-honours-list-2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190602205106/https://dpmc.govt.nz/publications/queens-birthday-honours-list-2019 |archive-date=2019-06-02 |accessdate=3 June 2019 |publisher=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet}} He was also a part of the 2010 Smithsonian Cooper Hewitt Design National Design Triennial.{{citation needed|date=December 2024}}
Notable works
Martin Sidoruk, speaking for the DINZ Council, said, "David is a true advocate of New Zealand's design industry, speaking regularly overseas and mentoring young designers while at the same time achieving international success and recognition for his incredible designs."{{cite web|last=Dunn|first=Collin|title=David Trubridge: Designing with Morality|url=http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/12/david_trubridge.php|work=Treehugger|publisher=MNN Holdings, LLC|accessdate=2 May 2013|archive-date=18 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110518213711/http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/12/david_trubridge.php|url-status=dead}}
Flora, fauna, and natural formations are frequent inspirations for Trubridge's work, which includes lighting, furniture, large-scale commissions, and sculptural pieces.{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}}
One of Trubridge's well-known designs is the Coral Light. Inspired by the designer's underwater experiences, the piece is based on the structure of a geometric polyhedron and resembles coral patterns.{{cite web |last1=Chesneau |first1=Mel |title=The Designer David Trubridge interview |url=https://melchesneau.com/2016/09/19/designer-david-trubridge/ |website=Melchesneau |access-date=20 December 2024}} His collections incorporate a range of Grow lights known as the Seed System.{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}}
In 2008, Trubridge designed Body Raft for the New Zealand exhibition "Furniture in Context," a Hawke's Bay Cultural Trust initiative. It was later shown at the Dowse Art Museum. A further developed version of Body Raft was shown at the 2001 Milan Furniture Fair, and its design was purchased by the Italian company Cappellini.{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}}
Trubridge has also developed large-scale commissions for corporate clients. These include lighting for Topshop's flagship store on Oxford Street, lighting for Stella McCartney in Printemps (Paris), benches for Suncorp HQ (Brisbane) and the AMP foyer (Auckland), customized lights for Oroton (in all Australian stores), and sculptural light installations for Bombay Sapphire's pop-up shop in Auckland.{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}}
A collaborative project with Urban Arts Projects resulted in a lighting installation for the Westfield Fox Hills Shopping Centre in California. Trubridge also has work in the Minneapolis Museum (Glide), Auckland Museum (Pacific Chair) and the Powerhouse, Sydney (Sling).{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}}
In 2010, the Pompidou Centre in Paris acquired Trubridge's Icarus installation (two Wing and one Sola light) for its permanent collection.{{Citation needed|date=November 2017}}
Awards
In the 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours, Trubridge was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to design.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|http://www.davidtrubridge.com/}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20130715030243/http://www.centrepompidou.fr/cpv/modifLocale.action Works in the collection of the Pompidou Centre]
- [http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/party.aspx?irn=11756 Entries on website for Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa]
- [https://archive.today/20130703154235/http://www.95bfm.co.nz/default,199608,seeded-season-2-ep-10-david-trubridge.sm Episode of 95bFM documentary series, Seeded]
- [http://www.dwr.com/category/designers/r-t/david-turbridge.do?nType=2 Entry on Design Within Reach website]
=Publication mentions=
- Schamroth, Helen. 100 New Zealand Craft Artists. Auckland: Godwit Press, 1998. {{ISBN|1869620305}}.
- Fuad-Luke, Alastair. eco-Design:The Sourcebook. Chronicle Books, 2006. {{ISBN|0811855325}} (Trubridge is on cover)
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trubridge, David}}
Category:New Zealand furniture designers
Category:English emigrants to New Zealand