Jens Thiel – who works primarily as a cultural entrepreneur and advisor – has a passion for what must be the most paradoxical chair in the world: the ubiquitous Monobloc plastic chair. In his lecture on the occasion of the opening of the exhibition »Monobloc – A Chair for the World«, Thiel recapitulates the development of a chair that is both abhorred and exceptional in equal degrees. It is the story of over a billion (usually) white chairs and their role in society and the art world. Free admission

It is the most widely used piece of furniture in the world: the cheap stackable white plastic chair. The exhibition tells its story. The idea of making a chair out of a single piece of material has fascinated designers for a long time – from attempts using sheet metal in the 1920s to the legendary Panton Chair (1967) to the white plastic chair, whose rise began in the 1970s, and which can be found in nearly every front yard today. The exhibition also features contemporary works, illustrating how designers and artists engage with the Monobloc design today to address issues of globalisation, consumerism or sustainability.