sculptural ping pong tables appear in park in France
Architecture and design office Exercice installs four geometric ping pong tables in Ingré, France, acting as an interactive public sculptures to nearby residents. Commissioned by the Région Centre-Val de Loire, each design has a different shape and surface geometry, resulting in a playful collection of functional tables. Although different in form, they share the same stainless steel legs that taper outward at the base and are anchored to circular floor plates bolted to the ground.
The shape of the table tennis table legs changes depending on the shape of the surface, but the material and anchoring method are the same. The playing surfaces are monochromatic in muted coral pink, pale blue, white and teal, each coated with a matte surface treatment. A perforated metal mesh also runs through the center of the tables, made from a metal sheet pierced with a grid of circular holes.
all images courtesy of Exercice
A series of multi-use, interactive public sculptures
Individually, the sculptural ping pong tables appear in whimsical forms. The teal table has a triangular plan and a folded surface. One half of the pitch is flat and horizontal while the other half rises at an angle from the central net. The mesh between the two halves is the same perforated metal shape as the others, but is located in the center of a surface where the two sides are not mirror images of each other. The legs on this table are more than the others, as the six legs better support the weight distribution of the two corner planes. The white table has an oval design with a hole cut into the playing surface near one end, creating a circular opening in the table. It creates a zone where a ball can fall through the table instead of bouncing back.
The pink hexagon table and the light blue oval table each bring further variations: the hexagon introduces a third side and a third net position, which changes the number of players the table can accommodate from two to three. The oval removes the corners completely, changing the way the balls behave as they travel towards the edge of the table. THE agency he says the rules evolve with the players who invent them, implying that the tables don’t have traditional instructions. In this way, the surfaces can also serve as a gathering place, allowing non-players to join the contestants for a chat around the sculpted ping pong tables before the game begins.
commissioned by the Région Centre-Val de Loire, each design has a different shape and surface geometry
the tables share the same stainless steel legs that taper out at the base and are anchored to circular floor plates
a perforated metal mesh also runs through the center of the tables
Design firm Exercice installs four geometric ping pong tables in Ingré, France
project information:
name: Ping Pong Park
agency: Exercise | @_exercise_
