NOLAN TALBOT-KELLY
Nolan Talbot-Kelly (b. 1995) is a Vancouver-based designer whose work explores the intersection of industrial infrastructure and conceptual craft. A graduate of Emily Carr University of Art + Design, Talbot-Kelly appropriates the language of the built environment—fasteners, brackets, and structural supports—to create furniture, lighting, and sculptural objects that transcend their utilitarian origins.
His practice is defined by a rigorous embrace of constraint. By prioritizing sustainability through the reuse of industrial remnants, Talbot-Kelly’s process becomes an exercise in pragmatic problem-solving. This ad hoc methodology results in a diverse body of work, ranging from unique, one-off sculptures to scalable series designed for external production.
Talbot-Kelly’s Granite series exemplifies this materially driven approach. Utilizing salvaged offcuts from Vancouver’s construction sites, he positions heavy stone as a classical pedestal to elevate commonplace industrial materials, creating a deliberate tension between monumentality and the everyday.
A co-creator of the Obj:Obj design exhibition, Talbot-Kelly is a central figure in Vancouver’s independent design scene. His work has been exhibited across Canada and the United States, continually pushing the boundary between functional object and aesthetic statement.
