Linda Cassens Stoian, MA, the repertoire of her many activities includes working as a critical spatial artist, theorist and teacher. Her underlying concern is how the human environment is construed–and de-construed–through corporeal movement and lingering/residing/sojouring or “Being In” [Das Gehen und Das sich Dort-und-Dort-Aufhalten, what she calls MOTILITY], exploring shifts and states or modes of being aware of the lived body as a whole (Innewerden) while also engaging in action and goal-oriented activities. The first aim is to open oneself corporeally to the surroundings while maintaining awareness of the lived body as a whole; and the second aim is to be aware of how elements of the setting defining possibilities of action and activity determine or influence movement through space: What are the effects of the setting upon the PATH of movement and how can these be sensed, captured? When and why are there STOPS or lingering? What effect do these have upon the PATH of movement? For what kinds of activities or actions is the place set up? What are the everyday equipment, customs and practices which constitute the basis of the specific activities that can be performed there? What new activities could be introduced in this setting? The idea is not to report about subjective experiences or what ones sees, but rather HOW the setting shapes doing, movement, e.g., a space opens up, a wall is encountered, a building draws back, an opening in a ceiling or roof directs one to the sky; a masonry wall, which accompanied one for a while leads one around a corner, etc. Admittedly, this is difficult because we usually concentrate our consciousness on visual features. The undertaking focuses rather on MOTILITY, which is closer to the sense of TOUCH.

Linda Cassens Stoian was born in the USA and has lived in Basel since 1994. Working in collaboration with the Swiss Architecture Museum in Basel, she is responsible for s am tours, the museum’s program of architecture tours in urban space. As teacher, L Cassens Stoian mentors MA students and gives lectures and workshops about artistic research and spatial praxis, most recently as docent at the Art in Public Spheres Program, Master of Arts in Fine Arts, Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, as well as at the University of Évora (PT), Arts University Bournemouth (UK) and Umeå University (SE). She has been engaged in establishing a basis for critical spatial research in Switzerland including project director and core member of interdisciplinary Swiss national DoRE research projects (Academy of Art and Design, Basel: www.perform-space.net; www.situated-body.net). Recent publications include: In: “Researching and Teaching in Performance Art.” In: Aufzeichnen und Erinnern. Performance Chronik Basel (1987–2006), (Eds.) Margarit von Büren, Muda Mathis, Sabine Gebhardt Fink, Diaphanes 2016; ‘Concerning Artwork-Led Academic Research’ [University of Évora 2014]; ‘Zeitreise durch die Architekturgeschichte des Bachletten-Holbein Quartiers’ in Das Bachletten und Holbein-Quartier in Basel [Basel: Aha-Fliegeverlag 2013]; ‘In Bern: Um-Denken von öffentlichem Raum durch Performancekunst’ (Berner Almanach 2012). Education: Political Science, History and Economics (BA, 1976) and studio arts (1977–1979), University of Arizona, Tucson; architecture (1984–86) Cooper Union; performance art (MA, 1994) New York University; art history (1997–2000), Basel University.

The most current links for my work are: http://www.master-kunst-luzern.ch/2014/02/linda-cassens-stoian/; Research: http://www.situated-body.net; http://www.perform-space.net/; art in public space: http://lokalzeit.ch/; Link to download texts: http://independent.academia.edu/LindaCassensStoian; s am tours: http://www.sam-basel.org/de/tours