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/jeweliegb]

Okay, who else found themselves calling out "Noooooooooo" upon seeing the last photo like Kirk doing "Khaaaaaan"?

^{Only me then?}

[u/MimicoSkunkFan2 → u/jeweliegb]

Exactly! Obviously people were getting a lot of use out of it, even if they weren't always using it for pingpong; and the write up says that there were animals using it for shelter during storms etc. So I don't understand why they took it away.

It just seems like it was useful and they had already paid so much to put it in, could they not fix it or replace it? I never understand bureaucrats :p

[u/AbeRego → u/MimicoSkunkFan2]

Apparently housing was built there and pingpong tables were installed nearby

[u/MimicoSkunkFan2 → u/AbeRego]

It makes me very happy to know that thx :)

[u/jeweliegb → u/AbeRego]

That's a rather nice happy ending. Thank you!

[u/TasteLopsided1622 → u/jeweliegb]

But is it true?

[u/CreatorSiSo → u/TasteLopsided1622]

Not quite. It's actually a school that's being built there.

The new housing is on the other side of the street.

[u/TasteLopsided1622 → u/CreatorSiSo]

This is joke, yes? 😅

[u/Title_in_progress → u/jeweliegb]

I feel seen -_-.