ECU Alums Featured in Dezeen Magazine Showcase
Liam Borsa’s DJ (left), Side Hustle2 (centre) and Lv.1. (Photos courtesy Liam Borsa)
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The lauded publication’s rundown of Vancouver designers features nearly a half dozen makers trained at Emily Carr University.
A recent Dezeen Magazine article showcasing local designers features nearly half a dozen Emily Carr University of Art + Design (ECU) alums.
Liam Borsa (BDes 2024), Edwina Liao (BDes 2023), Pablo Mariano (MDes 2022), Jasna Sokolovic (BFA 2000) and Nolan Talbot-Kelly (BDes 2023) are among Dezeen’s 10 independent furniture design studios operating in Vancouver.
“From furniture in all wood and metal to tile-clad works and high-end camping chairs, these designers are taking a variety of approaches to design, working in small workshops throughout Vancouver.” Dezeen writes. The article is part of Dezeen's North American Design 2024 series selecting independent furniture and product design studios from cities across Canada, Mexico and the United States.
From Edwina Liao's Pole to Pole furniture series, which connects modular poles using traditional joinery secured in place through cord tensioning. (Centre photo by Lan Yan / All photos courtesy Edwina Liao)
“With my background in trades, I see an underutilized approach to […] methods typically reserved for construction,” Liam Borsa, a former refrigeration mechanic, tells Dezeen. “The fun problem for me to solve is how to harness these already available technologies in a way that people in those industries don't think to do.”
Edwina Liao says her designs “aim to bring intentional connections with living spaces, whether indoors or in nature. I focus on encouraging interaction with objects to make people feel more connected to their surroundings, while also raising awareness of their own needs and fostering care for their environments.”
Pablo Mariano and some recent projects in his Vancouver studio. (Photos by Jenn Xu)
Pablo Mariano, who is also a faculty member at ECU, says he’s focused on finding ways “to keep developing my practice and having a shop in a big city without sacrificing the joy and my beliefs for more economically profitable approaches. Ever since I had to close my shop in Argentina, I spent a lot of time and work in learning new skills and redirecting my practice to something I could do without requiring a big infrastructure and trying to make myself my main resource instead.”
Jason Sokolovic is one half of collaborative studio Dear Human, which she cofounded with designer Noel O’Connell in 2010. Dear Human is known for its creative approach to sustainable material use.
From Dear Human's Pulpites (left), a series of lamps combining porcelain tops with pulp shades; TOTem Lamp (centre), a lamp which can be endlessly recombined from modular components made of coloured porcelain, terracotta Papertile blocks; and objects from the Paperscapes series, an ongoing exploration into objects made from recycled paper sourced from local industry waste that function as furniture, lighting, wall treatment or all of the above. (Photos courtesy Dear Human)
“We try to maintain our spontaneity and follow our excitement about materials and push the boundaries of what we think they can do,” the duo tells Dezeen. “One of the chief problems we are always trying to solve is how to repurpose waste materials we come across.”
Nolan Talbot-Kelly, who began his career with Hinterland Design before founding his own studio, is likewise known for his use of waste materials and industrial offcuts to create high-quality designs.
(Left): Nolan Talbot-Kelly's Two Halves credenza. | (Centre and right): From Nolan Talbot-Kelly's Embracing the Utilitarian, a series of objects representing physical research into how both self imposed and outside limitations dictate possible design outcomes. (Photos courtesy Nolan Talbot-Kelly)
“A large part of my recent self-initiated studio work is centred around iterating with things that already exist, rather than designing in a way that requires introducing new lines of production,” he tells Dezeen. “I view this process as physical research through making, exploring possible alternative modes of designing that promote a more sustainable visual and material culture. I create objects that are both functional and speculative.”
Visit ECU online to learn more about studying in the Industrial Design and Master of Design programs at Emily Carr University.
