Matthew David Bird (born 18 March 1980) is an experimental architect, artist and academic from Melbourne, Australia.
He practices across a range of disciplines including interior design, set-design, sculpture, installation art and architecture.
He is well known for his guerrilla-style installations, notably Alphaomega Apartment (2008) where he theatrically transformed a tiny rental apartment with reimagined prosaic materials and unbeknown to the owners.Bird studied architecture at RMIT University and developed professionally in Melbourne’s ‘ideas-lead’ architectural scene of Cassandra Fahey and ARM Architecture.
Both were environments where research, creative thinking and what-if design established his interests in the unorthodox, pursuing speculative and culturally symbolic ideas.
In 2008 Bird started his practice Studiobird and commenced a practice-based PhD at RMIT University under the supervision of Professor Leon van Schaik AO.
Over the next four years Bird undertook a series of practice-based research projects including installation, scenography and sculpture that examined his methodologies, motivations and fuelled his emergent interdisciplinary practice ambitions.
In recent years Bird has expanded his practice incorporating photography, performance, video art, interactive sculpture and architecture and has presented works at international festivals, galleries and museums both nationally and internationally.
Bird has exhibited commissioned works at the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Festival, Museum of Old and New Art (MONA), and the Venice Architecture Biennale.
His practice is recognised with numerous honours including a Green Room Award, Australian Interior Design Award and an Australian Institute of Architects VIC Award.