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Who says you have to choose between culture and a beach day?
This summer, Rockaway Beach is becoming New York City's most artistic game room thanks to “Between Tides,” a free Public Art Fund exhibition that turns six contemporary sculptures into fully playable ping-pong tables.
Running through September 13 at Beach 67, the installation invites visitors to do something museums almost never allow: touch the art—and then challenge your friends to a match.
The artists behind the project have reimagined the humble ping-pong table in wildly inventive ways. One sculpture puts a salvaged aluminum boat in the tentacles of a giant sea monster inspired by maritime folklore. Another doubles as a musical instrument, embedding glockenspiels, drums and cymbals into the playing surface so every volley becomes an impromptu concert. Elsewhere, there’s a table inspired by one of the world's oldest ballgames, a multiplayer table that can accommodate up to 10 people at once, a terrazzo beach scene made from ceramic sunglasses and books and a bright pink structure built to function as a habitat for marine life if it were ever submerged beneath the waves.
Unlike most public art exhibitions, Public Art Fund wants people to actually use the sculptures, whether that means playing a traditional game, inventing new rules or just hanging out between dips. "The beach doesn't dictate how you should spend your time; you and the people you're with create your own rituals and experiences," artist Ilana Harris-Babou said in a statement. "I wanted to make something that could be used in multiple ways, inviting people to imagine new forms of play."
If you don't own a paddle, don't worry. Public Art Fund is lending out free paddles and balls on Fridays from 10 am to 4 pm and Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 6 pm, though you're welcome to bring your own gear and play whenever the beach is open. There's also a public ping-pong tournament—the Sand and Paddle Classic—scheduled for August 22, along with other free programming throughout the summer.