THE LIVING LINE
Performing Tales Of The Unseen
Performance
Tanzfest Basel 2026: 7 May 2026 & 8 May 2026
Tales Of The Unseen
Drawing Series
City Drop
Urban Intervention: Nr. 8 – special edition
When: Tuesday, 2. June 2026, 6-8 pm
Where: FOR ART, Rittergasse 21, Basel
entrance FOR ART Café-Bar
Opening hours exhibition
Free entry during FOR ART café-bar opening hours
Tu and We 10 – 19 Uhr
Thu till Sa 10 – 20 Uhr
Su 10 – 18 Uhr
During Art Basel
14. – 21. June 2026, daily 10 – 22 Uhr
Sommer break: 19.7. – 3.8.2026
Visit FOR ART | Littmann Kulturprojekte
Tales Of The Unseen unfolds as a dialogue between drawing and movement, with the two dancers simultaneously acting as interpreters of the drawing, subjects of the drawing, and the drawing entities. Each performance produces different, dynamic drawings that are intended as snapshots guided by movement and dance.
The piece is part of an ongoing series of drawings by Timo Paris, which exists in various formats – from small-format A5 drawings to large-scale works created directly during the performances. The series explores the fragmentary nature of the body in motion. Drawing is understood as a physical, dance-like thought process in which movement, line and time merge into a visual record. The performance demonstrates how body, image and perception continuously influence one another.
In parallel with the performances during Tanzfest Basel 2026, a large-scale drawing was created in May 2026 at the Artstübli in Basel. The creative process remained visible; visitors were able to observe the work in progress, engage in conversations and become part of it by acting as models. The space served simultaneously as a studio, an exhibition space and a social gathering place. After the exhibition, 32 fragments were detached from the large-scale drawing. On 17 June, these will be placed as standalone works in Basel’s urban space as part of a so-called City Drop, where they can be found by passers-by. Those who find the City Drop works are invited to return their fragments to the exhibition at FOR ART and reinsert them into the main drawing. They will receive their drawing back after the exhibition and, as a thank you, will also receive an additional drawing.
Through this combination of performance, urban space, restitution and exhibition, Tales Of The Unseen conceives of drawing as a dialogue and as a circulating entity within an open body of work. The project combines performance, drawing and urban circulation into an artistic practice centred on process and the public sphere.
Artistic Direction and Choreography: Timo Paris
Choreography and Dance: Andrea Biel
Text: Anastasia Chaguidouline