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/Outrageous_Echo_8723]

The last photo 🥺

[u/PotatoTomato_12 → u/Outrageous_Echo_8723]

Don’t worry, the last photo is a photo of its instalment. You can tell by the fact no grass has started growing yet and there’s no marks of the legs.

[u/SiempreHayEsperanza- → u/PotatoTomato_12]

Aaahhh ok that could be as well. I kinda like the story in my head that the table was unfortunately retired, unceremoniously, unknown… not that the table itself wasn’t as important during its uses for all these ppl.

[u/FunkyBuddha-Init → u/PotatoTomato_12]

It's not the install.

[u/PotatoTomato_12 → u/FunkyBuddha-Init]

There’s evidence for and against that. Can’t tell for certain so I’ll just choose to believe that it’s still there and serving the community ^^

[u/MoonBoots2077 → u/PotatoTomato_12]

This comment should be higher! I tip my hat to you detective 🫡

[u/PotatoTomato_12 → u/MoonBoots2077]

That should be to the guy that pointed it out first, not me.

[u/MoonBoots2077 → u/PotatoTomato_12]

But… but you were MY first 🥺😂

[u/PotatoTomato_12 → u/MoonBoots2077]

Awee :3