Dr. Elena Chestnova

Biography

Elena Chestnova studied architecture at the University of Cambridge and ETH Zurich, and has worked in various cities including London, Jerusalem, and Zurich. She completed her PhD focusing on the SNSF-Project 'Architecture Globalization Knowledge 19th Century. Gottfried Semper Discipline Architectural History,' which explored the roles of theory and construction in the work of Gottfried Semper. Her dissertation, 'History of Things: Gottfried Semper's Popularization of the Arts in London 1850-55,' received the prestigious Theodor-Fischer Prize for emerging scholars at the Zentralinstitut für Kunstgeschichte in Munich in 2018. The dissertation was published in an extended version in 2022 by Routledge under the title 'Material Theories: Locating Artefacts in the Writings of Gottfried Semper.' Since 2017, Elena has also been a project manager for a digital humanities initiative that involves developing a digital edition of Semper's manuscripts in collaboration with ETH Zurich. Her role in this project has enhanced her skills in digital humanities. She has been actively involved in various DH networks and has published a book extending her research into new digital directions. Currently, she is exploring periodical sources to study public discourse regarding the built environment during the long nineteenth century.

Research Interests

Experience