Vanessa Betten

Vanessa’s work begins in lived environments: neighborhood sidewalks, dining tables, theatre stages, and city spaces. Working across photography, video, and constructed settings, she examines how built environments shape human behavior and connection. Her practice is rooted in observation, studying how circulation, access, and atmosphere influence the way people experience a space.

During an internship in Valencia, Spain, she produced food photography and video on site, documenting culinary spaces as they functioned rather than as staged scenes. Instead of isolating a finished dish, she focused on interaction, gesture, and context. This experience deepened her belief that authenticity and environment carry more narrative weight than perfection alone, and it reshaped how she approaches commercial work.

Her honors capstone documentary on walkability in Pittsburgh and its surrounding suburbs expanded this inquiry into infrastructure. By framing sidewalks, crosswalks, and bus stops as social spaces, she examined how design determines who feels supported, who is limited, and how communities connect. The project strengthened her commitment to storytelling that questions systems and highlights the quiet impact of everyday design.

Operating cameras for live theatre sharpened her sensitivity to timing, collaboration, and spatial awareness. Working within the movement of performers and set pieces reinforced her understanding of space as active and relational.

Set design and branding allow her to intentionally construct visual environments. This same attention to structure informs her hand-beaded jewelry business, which began through making friendship bracelets for people in her life. Designing bracelets for everyday wear continues her interest in connection, proximity, and the small objects that carry personal meaning.

Vanessa’s work ultimately asks how spaces, systems, and objects shape the way we move through and relate to the world around us.