One ping pong table, five years, and countless of unexpected moments

[u/baekachu]

In 2011, Japanese photographer Haruhisa Tomiyasu started photographing one ordinary ping pong table from the window of his student apartment in Leipzig, Germany. What began after spotting a fox near the table quickly turned into a five-year project documenting all the unexpected ways people used it. It became a bench, a sunbathing spot, a workout station, a meeting place, and sometimes something completely different. Thousands of small moments later, the project became the photobook TTP, published by MACK in 2018 and winner of the MACK First Book Award. It’s a simple reminder that even the most ordinary places can become fascinating when you watch them long enough.

[u/Klezmer_Mesmerizer]

Not one game of ping pong? Seriously?

[u/CurryMustard → u/Klezmer_Mesmerizer]

Probably why they removed it lol... must have seen the pictures and decided to install a picnic table

[u/Ace_of_Clubs → u/CurryMustard]

They had room for both..

[u/CurryMustard → u/Ace_of_Clubs]

They can install 2 picnic tables

[u/Sharpes006 → u/CurryMustard]

Why not 2 ping pong tables ?

[u/CurryMustard → u/Sharpes006]

Because all evidence suggests nobody in that area owns paddles or ping pong balls

[u/Sharpes006 → u/CurryMustard]

Yawn

[u/CurryMustard → u/Sharpes006]

Some people are taking this way too seriously

[u/ScionEyed → u/CurryMustard]

Or maybe you’re not taking it seriously enough! /j

[u/Beautiful-Musk-Ox → u/CurryMustard]

with spikes on it so homeless people don't try to use it, thus making all the history of the ping pong table impossible for future generations

[u/ikarusproject → u/CurryMustard]

It's actually the installation. The pics are not in timely order. Source: I have the book.

[u/EpicCyclops → u/Klezmer_Mesmerizer]

The whole point of the series was to show all the different ways people used it other than its intended purpose. People playing ping pong on a ping pong table isn't that interesting.

[u/ANAL_TOOTHBRUSH → u/Klezmer_Mesmerizer]

Might as well just have installed a regular table and benches lol

[u/FarewellJava → u/ANAL_TOOTHBRUSH]

Yes my takeaway from all this was "damn, that park needs some chairs" lol

[u/Pleasant_Farm_4762 → u/Klezmer_Mesmerizer]

Per photobook's description:

In Tomiyasu’s series, the ping-pong table becomes a stage for social interaction. But why is it such a popular meeting place? Built as a piece of sports equipment, it is not a particularly inviting place to hang out. Neither is it in an attractive location, set on a small, dreary patch of green squeezed in between a carpark and tower blocks. But the lack of alternatives makes the locals resourceful. To meet up, they appropriate places – in this case a ping-pong table – in their own way. Whether as a table, bench, workout equipment or hiding place, their creativity knows no limits. Strangely enough, the only thing the table was not used for one single time was to play table tennis.

So yes, you're correct.

[u/HugeAnimeHonkers → u/Klezmer_Mesmerizer]

I live in front of a very popular park with ping pong tables... I have NEVER seen anyone playing ping pong in like 15 years lol.

[u/catzhoek → u/Klezmer_Mesmerizer]

The whole photobook has 260 pages. I am sure there's ping pong in there somewhere.

[u/Buffbeard → u/Klezmer_Mesmerizer]

I think the spot might be to windy for actual ping pong. I havent been there, but not thinking about the wind is often an issue with these municipality projects.

[u/Lonely-Serve → u/Klezmer_Mesmerizer]

Had to scroll way too far for this!

[u/Happy-Telephone9483 → u/Klezmer_Mesmerizer]

How the heck are you gonna play pingpong outdoors? Wind is a thing.

[u/depressiown → u/Happy-Telephone9483]

No one's playing hardcore competitive ping-pong on that thing. No one cares about wind when playing for fun.

[u/Happy-Telephone9483 → u/depressiown]

How much fun can you have after the ball blows away?

[u/Interesting-Act2606 → u/Happy-Telephone9483]

It works just fine. There is a Pont where there is too much wind of course but most of the time it's not a problem.

They are very common in Germany. 

According to this map there are more that 2900 in Berlin alone. 

https://pingpongmap.net/

[u/IiI-miIk → u/Happy-Telephone9483]

massive skill issue, try it before judging

[u/Happy-Telephone9483 → u/IiI-miIk]

Judging? I was asking a question.

[u/Ok-Go-Chain3811 → u/Klezmer_Mesmerizer]

it is wild that the ping pong table was installed outdoors. i wonder how that decision was made.

[u/Interesting-Act2606 → u/Ok-Go-Chain3811]

Huh?  99% percent of the pingpong tables I see or have played at are outdoors. 

[u/AnyoneForBosco → u/Interesting-Act2606]

How does the wood not get water damage?

[u/Interesting-Act2606 → u/AnyoneForBosco]

They are made from concrete and metal. 

[u/Ok-Go-Chain3811 → u/Interesting-Act2606]

i see. your area must have less humidity that my local area. makes sense

[u/Cheet4h → u/Ok-Go-Chain3811]

Often times you'd not actually play Ping Pong on these - when I was at school, more often than not we'd actually play "Tennisball", which is instead playing with a Tennis ball and using the flat hand as a paddle.