I embark on a modern pilgrimage to Spain in search of my grandfather, Leopoldo Savignac Battistini– because my mum wanted me to, and because neither of us knew him. Mum met him only once when she was 8 years old. He was a photographer from Venezuela who emigrated to Spain and worked there 1909-1948. I have travelled through the Basque Country and Madrid to compile his archive and embarked on a conversation with his work through alternative photographic practices and creative non-fiction.

The story is about the journey itself, my observations, and discoveries. It touches on my grandfather’s link to Franco during the Spanish Civil War. It weaves memoir, travel writing and cultural history to explore ideas of place and home, of photography and memory.