Autobiography as Research

In the research project Autobiography as Research, Valentina Stepanova further challenges her transdisciplinary documentary practice. More specifically, she aims to place a scanner over a reservoir of memories, stories, objects, photographs, and audiovisual material — not only as personal archaeology but also as a mirror for broader societal shifts. How does an individual memory echo within the larger movements of history and politics? What forms can autobiographical storytelling take today, in a world where collective memory and disinformation increasingly collide? How does a personal story relate to the normalization of violence, the circulation of ideologies, and the mechanisms of forgetting? By zooming in and out — between the particular and the systemic — this research aims to penetrate the fault lines of our time.

During her residency at workspacebrussels, Valentina focuses on the relationship between stories, objects, and symbols. She conducts this study on sculptural reality and narrativity together with researcher and dramaturg Leonie Persyn and artist Charlotte Bouckaert. With their guidance, she seeks out the objects and symbols that are central to her autobiography — and the reasons why. By reliving autobiographical anecdotes and stories, they carefully select the elements that carry meaning. On a personal meta-level, they examine the relationship between objects and symbols. What meaning do these objects acquire depending on their context? And how does the mystery that surrounds them arise?