Jennifer Goettner
Faculty

Product Design (MDes)

What is your passion?

Theatricality. For me, theater is everywhere. I am an audience member. I like to watch. The more I see, the more I appreciate about this life and this world. I’m a fan of cultural production— ALL cultural production fascinates and inspires me. I am a movie buff, comic book connoisseur, and a lover of rock-n-roll. But, I’m most interested in how and where industrial products fit into this schema.

What is cultural production? All of it is born from a people, and from a place. Our constructed environment is the product, the evidence, the residue of our very existence. The world is here for us to appreciate and learn from. 

As for teaching, I see myself as a friend with whom you watch a film. My presence provides a catalyst for discussion on our observations.

My life path has been a kind of creative research project. Through the years, I’ve collected (and combined) experiences, leading me to a unique perspective from which to view the world. As a designer, I’ve worked in many fields. I’ve produced sets, exhibitions, costumes, props, wigs, sculptures, events, community gardens, fashion accessories, and videos. As an educator, I employ this skill-set to cross-pollinate between various fields, so that we might benefit from one another. For example, I believe that theatrical designers have much to teach product designers about FORM. In exchange, theatrical designers could learn a thing or two about FUNCTION from product designers. As an academic, these are the topics I explore.

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