Architect Murray Barker and artist Laith McGregor have designed two outdoor table tennis tables from monolithic concrete slabs (+ slideshow).
The tables, collectively named Monoliths, were designed for the Monash University Museum of Art (MUMA) in Melbourne and are made predominantly of concrete with copper detailing and steel nets.
The lighter-coloured table OK Point was constructed in two parts with a pyramid shaped base and a flat playing surface.
Green pebble aggregate is exposed on the surface, and is intended to complement the copper detailing on the table as it oxidises and changes colour.
The darker Step-up KO table was tinted black using iron oxide pigments. Its base looks like a set of upside down stairs, and features a small cut-out section intended for storing beers.
"The works are perceived as enigmatic sculptural forms, built to elucidate the weight of the object in relation to the surrounding urban landscape, and conforming to exact dimensions for recreational play," said Barker and McGregor.
"The concrete objects are grouped together to create interactive gathering hubs in outdoor social spaces," they added. "Each sculpture took on its own form and character whilst adhering to a conceptual thread."
A set of benches topped with similar slabs were installed to accompany the tables, with the aim of encouraging skateboarders to skate on these instead of the tables.
Other designers who have reinvented the ping pong table include Richard Hutten, who created a conference table that doubles up as a table tennis surface, and Portuguese artist Carlos No, who divided his table with a brick wall.Â
Photography by Abigail Varney.
