Tsz Kiu Tang

I WISH IT WORKS

Ping pong is more than just a sport. There is a theory, that ping pong is a game that is a physical translation of our emotions – it is an activity of constant exchange, continuously responding to the opponent’s behaviour. When two people play ping pong, the audience can see the feelings of the competitors through their features, which can be love, hatred, envy, etc. It is a reliable tool for analysing the relationship to others of each human being. At the same time, ping pong is a medium for connecting social relations and it promotes communication and collaboration between people in different worlds. As a former table tennis player, this familiar medium has become the origin of my research on interpersonal relationships, embodying and externalizing one's passions and experiences. I try to visualize my understanding of the subtle relationship between people in today's world, make the impalpable tangible, and condense it into the size of a ping-pong table.

In ancient China, the circle was an important cultural symbol. It signifies unity, harmony, the balance of yin and yang, and the duality of nature, which is an essential part of Chinese philosophies. What if a ping pong table is a semi-circle? The two ends of the table are no longer on the opposite side, no longer visualising face-to-face or in a competing situation. This brings two opponents closer as they stand next to each other, but at the same time, the table is no longer a platform that brings in effective communication or collaboration. I want to visualise the contradiction of miscommunication in an intimate relationship. This work aims to comment on social psychology and human behaviour. I abstractly focus on social and psychological constructs such as the concept of imagination, and the strains of relationships. I am trying to discover the true reality through the abolition and rejection of convention.