Anyone who enters the grounds of the firm which was shaped by the english architecture couple Alison and Peter Smithson will find themselves in a sculpture park. In front the manufactory, then the delicate Wewerka Pavilion, across three museum halls looking like glass combs: A steel work, painted white on the inside and a fiery red on the outside, with uniquely high support and chairs positioned at their tips. “The Ten Chairs of Lauenförde” is the name of the installation that corresponds with a red lattice tower, the entrance to the “Tecta Landscape”.

Daniela Drescher opens up the museums halls this morning. Here lies the collection compiled by Axel Bruchhäuser all about the cantilever chair that is today carefully continued by his nephew Christian Drescher and his wife Daniela Drescher. “Master forms of the modern era” stand beside “Anonymous Aristocrats” – almost 100 years of design history that have a connection to the firm Tecta are being told.

“This is a bit like a free flight hall for seating furniture,” explains Daniela Drescher in the first hall, “colourful and slightly chaotic at first glance. But when considered more closely one quickly determines that there are many similarities,” says the museum director, “and hence Peter Smithson’s thought of the ‘families of chairs’ comes to fruition. The collection resembles a large family get-together, where each chair has its own story and is connected to the others in a special way.” In this way, new products join the historical exhibition pieces. Here, the universe of the firm Tecta presents itself in a colourful and timely interplay.

For decades Axel Bruchhäuser, founder of the cantilever collection, compiled the development of the cantilever chair: “For me it was the instinctive search for the master form of the steel tube chair,” he says. “I was interested to find out the idea out of which the cantilever chair arose.” The name “cantilever chair” was substantiated by Heinz Rasch, one of the idea givers, with the architectural construction of timbered houses that stretch beyond the top floor to carry a gazebo. This is how the name for a piece of furniture that makes do and appears completely weightless with merely two instead of four legs came to be.

– Alvar Aalto
– Aagaard Andersen
– Alfred Arndt
– Marcel Breuer
– Ray und Charles Eames
– Walter Gropius
– Hugo Häring
– El Lissitzky
– Hannes Meyer
– Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
– Charlotte Perriand
– Jean Prouvé
– Heinz Rasch
– Gerrit Rietveld
– Alison & Peter Smithson
– Mart Stam
– Vladimir Tatlin
– Guiseppe Terragni
– Stefan Wewerka
– Sergius Ruegenberg

The Cantilever Chair Museum was founded in 1979 – why?

Christian Drescher: After taking over Tecta from Hans Könecke, Axel Bruchhäuser wanted to produce Bauhaus furniture under licence. Simply put, he needed the originals in order to learn how to manufacture them faithfully and as intended by their creators in serial production. This was how he laid the foundations for the collection. Medieval Beverungen Castle was home to the collection until 2000. But then it grew to such an extent that it was only logical to build a museum of our own. In 2003 we moved to the new museum halls designed by Peter Smithson on the huge premises, the Tecta Landscape. And here the collection has a three-fold mission: to serve as a museum, company archives and showroom at the same time.

The Museum has an extraordinary name – how did this come about?

Christian Drescher: The museum has a close connection with Tecta’s work. At the beginning there was some legal uncertainty about the copyrights and rights of use of the cantilever chair. Axel Bruchhäuser searched for contemporary witnesses and tried to reconstruct the history of the chair. During his quest he met the Gropius family, Marcel Breuer, Sergius Ruegenberg, Mart Stam, Jean Prouvé and published the book The Cantilever Chair, which is part of the primary literature on the subject. The more his cantilever chair collection grew, the more knowledge he acquired about the history of its invention. The quintessence of the museum became visible: the development of the cantilever chair.

Why do you think the Cantilever Chair Museum is not a museum in the strict sense?

Daniela Drescher: One of the special things about the collection is the place where it is presented and the element of surprise. Many visitors would never expect to find a modernist collection in such a provincial setting, in the countryside. You can see the exhibits both from the outside and inside and they interact with the environment and architecture. Peter Smithson thought of “families of chairs”. This leitmotif is mirrored by the layout of the museum. Our exhibits find their niches in the room and relate to each other like at a big family reunion. There are closer and more distant relationships and each one has a certain connection with all the others.

Can our relationship with the act of sitting still be depicted in a contemporary way?

Daniela Drescher: The collection itself is timeless and sitting is still a very popular topic in our modern world. Many visitors are surprised at the age of some of our exhibits, because the designs look so contemporary and familiar. So, in many cases they still relate to modern life, which is emphasised by the fact that we show parts of our production that are manufactured right next door.

Your products, your protagonists, are now being showcased in a fresh manner. Why was it time to redesign the museum?

Christian Drescher: We followed Peter Smithson’s concept of an “Art Barn” that offers easy access to the collection. Of course, you cannot sit on the exhibits but they are unusually approachable for the visitor, they are not on pedestals or in display cases. But we also wanted to use Smithson’s ideas of families of chairs and their relationships. So we moved exhibits that formerly stood in rows along the walls more towards the centre of the room, regrouped them and enabled them to interact. In addition, we added a typographic text level.

Daniela Drescher: In addition, the museum halls that had been designed with a focus on transparency, had simply become too crowded. We sorted out things, put some of the exhibits into storage, removed the original sisal carpet and replaced it by a waxed free floating screed. The new floor with its matte sheen emphasises the airiness and transparency of the architecture. This allows the gaze to wander until it is automatically drawn to the details.

A museum without walls – how does it work?

Christian Drescher: The Cantilever Chair Museum is probably the only museum that does without any white walls but is completely glazed and features a steel lattice structure. This allows for complex views from the outside into the interior and vice versa. The exhibits, the museum – everything seems to be flying and in constant motion. As we didn’t want to do without explanatory texts after the museum’s redesign, we opted for a concrete floor where the contents guide the visitor through the collection with graphics and colour designs.

The museum is part of the Tecta Landscape. What does this mean?

Daniela Drescher: The Tecta Landscape is an industrial and landscape park that has grown over the years. Many small and larger interventions, be it in the architecture of the company buildings or landscape planning concepts, were implemented in a long-term process by the architects Alison & Peter Smithson. With the Cantilever Chair Museum Alison & Peter Smithson had completed their work on the landscape. We are still in close contact with their descendants, who are looking after the legacy of their parents with great sensitivity. Simon Smithson, their son and a successful architect in his own right, designed an outdoor platform between the museum and company buildings in 2006 and created a space with magnificent views that is now the new focus of the Tecta Landscape. All this is supplemented by the recently completed renovation and conversion of the offices and company headquarters by Andree Weißert. The Berlin-based architect was able to reveal new and surprising views of the landscape park. By painting the steel beams in the offices red he made them relate to the red of the museum.

The collection of the Cantilever Chair Museum is constantly evolving. What is your goal for the next ten years?

Christian Drescher: One goal is to update the collection. After all, everything is in motion – constructive ideas and new materials make new designs possible. We will examine and explore them to find contemporary solutions. The museum always shows the essence of what we are currently working on, it’s all about a constant evolution. Especially in our younger visitors we still see a great fascination for modernist ideas and objects today. We would like to cultivate and foster that. Making the museum more open is also part of this. The Tecta Landscape should be a vibrant place. It should inspire and enable a creative and constructive dialogue.

The cantilever chair museum was founded in 1979 – why?
Christian Drescher: After taking over the Tecta company from Hans Könecke, Axel Bruchhäuser wanted to manufacture Bauhaus furniture under licence. Simply put, he needed the originals in order to learn how to manufacture them in series production true to the originals and in the spirit of the originators. This is how he laid the foundations for the collection. The medieval “Burg Beverungen” was home to the exhibition until the year 2000. In the meantime, however, the collection had grown to such an extent that it was only logical that we should have our own museum. In 2003, we moved into the new museum halls designed by Peter Smithson on the extensive site, the “Tecta-Landscape”. Here, the collection fulfils its three functions: museum, company archive and showroom.

The museum has an unusual name. How did it come about?
Christian Drescher: The museum is closely linked to the work of Tecta. In the early days, there were legal uncertainties about the copyright and usage rights to the cantilever chair. Axel Bruchhäuser looked for contemporary witnesses and tried to reconstruct the history of the furniture. He met the Gropius family, Marcel Breuer, Sergius Ruegenberg, Mart Stam and Jean Prouvé and published the book “The Cantilever Chair”, which is still part of the primary literature.

Why do you think the Kragstuhlmuseum is not a museum in the true sense of the word?
Daniela Drescher: A special feature of the collection is the location in which it is presented and its element of surprise: many visitors do not expect to find a collection of modern art in the provinces, on a greenfield site. The exhibits can be viewed from the outside as well as the inside, and they interact with the environment and architecture. Peter Smithson thought of the “Families of chairs”. A guiding principle that is reflected in the layout of the museum. The exhibits in our exhibition find their niches in the room and arrange themselves in relation to each other like at a large family reunion. There are closer and wider relationships, and everyone has a particular connection to everyone else.

Can these relationships around sitting still be presented in a contemporary way today?
Daniela Drescher: The collection itself is timeless, and the theme of sitting in a modern world is still relevant. Many visitors are amazed at the age of some of the exhibits because the designs seem so contemporary and familiar. The current relevance is therefore present in many cases and is emphasised by the fact that we show parts of our production that are made right next door.

Your products, your protagonists, have just been restaged. Why was it time to remodel the museum?
Christian Drescher: We followed Peter Smithson’s idea of an “Art Barn”, an art barn that allows easy access to the collection. Of course, you can’t sit on the exhibits, but they are exceptionally accessible to the visitor; they are neither on pedestals nor in display cases. However, we also wanted to pick up on Smithson’s idea of chair families and relationships. We therefore pulled the exhibits, which were previously lined up on the outside walls, into the room, regrouped them and placed them in relation to each other. A typographically designed text layer was also added.

Daniela Drescher: The museum halls, which were designed for transparency, were also simply too full. We sorted things out, stored some of the exhibits, removed the original sisal carpet and replaced it with a waxed flowing screed. The new, matt glossy floor emphasises the lightness and transparency of the architecture. The eye can wander and lingers on the details as if by magic.

A museum without walls – how does that work?
Christian Drescher: The Kragstuhlmuseum is probably the only museum that completely dispenses with white walls, instead being glazed all round and equipped with a latticework structure. This enables a complex visual relationship from the outside to the inside and vice versa. The exhibits, the museum – everything seems to float and move. As we did not want to do without explanatory texts when restructuring the museum, we opted for the concrete floor, on which the contents are graphically and colourfully designed to guide visitors through the collection.

The museum is part of Tecta Landscape. What else is behind this term?
Daniela Drescher: The Tecta Landscape is an industrial and landscape park that has grown over the years. Many small and large interventions, whether in the architecture of the company building or landscaping ideas, were realised in a long process by the architect couple Alison and Peter Smithson. Alison and Peter Smithson’s work on the landscape was completed with the Kragstuhlmuseum. To this day, we are in close contact with their descendants, who are sensitively looking after their parents’ legacy. Simon Smithson, son and himself a successful architect, designed an outdoor platform between the museum and the company building in 2006, creating a square with magnificent lines of sight that forms the new centre of the Tecta Landscape.

All of this is complemented by the recently completed refurbishment and remodelling of the offices and company building by Andree Weißert. The Berlin architect has succeeded in revealing new and surprising visual axes to the landscape park. The red-painted steel beams in the offices also correspond with the red colour of the museum.

The collection of the Cantilever Chair Museum is constantly evolving. What is your goal in ten years’ time?
Christian Drescher: One goal is to further develop the collection. After all, everything is in motion – constructive ideas and new materials make new designs possible. We scrutinise and research them in order to find contemporary solutions. The museum always shows the core of what we are currently working on; it is about continuous further development. Younger visitors in particular are still fascinated by modernist ideas and objects. We want to cultivate and expand this. This also includes opening up the museum further. The Tecta Landscape should be a lively place. To provide inspiration and facilitate creative and constructive dialogue.