James Joyce – Art of Ping Pong collaboration
James’ relationship with Art of Ping Pong goes back ten years, after he first produced a one-off, hand-painted ping pong bat for them in 2016.
Now he’s back in collaboration with them, his Collapsed Clown Face artwork appearing across a range of functional art, including an ArtTable, powder-coated steel ArtNets and ArtBat sets, all designed to be played with as well as displayed.
The James Joyce × Art of Ping Pong collection launched on 24 September and is now available from the Art of Ping Pong website.
We spoke to James about the collaboration.
Plus we’ve included some photos from the launch night.
How did you originally get involved with Art of Ping Pong back in 2016?
They approached me when they were putting together one of their early artist projects and asked me to create a one-off bat. I hand-painted a piece for them, so it’s nice that ten years later we’ve come back together to do something on a much bigger scale.
Were you pleasantly surprised when they approached you this time round?
Yes, definitely. I’d stayed in touch with Algy over the years and always liked what they were doing, so it was great to be asked back. The opportunity to work across the table, nets, bats and balls made it particularly interesting because it’s a full collection rather than a single piece.
Was it a challenge adapting your designs to practical objects like a ping pong table?
There are obviously practical considerations because everything still has to function properly, but I actually quite like working within those kinds of restrictions. The shapes and proportions of the objects become part of the design. There are always challenges getting a high level of finish when printing onto different materials and, in particular, the rubber took some figuring out. It’s quite different from making an image for a wall, which is what makes it interesting.
Did you decide to use your Collapsed Clown Face design or did they request that?
We discussed a few possibilities, but the Collapsed Clown Face felt like a natural fit. There’s something playful about the image which works really well in the context of ping pong, but there’s also a slight tension to it. Moving into a darker colour palette gives it a more luxurious feel, with bright colour introduced through the bats and ArtNets.
Is creating pieces that can be used practically in some way rather than just being on the wall to be looked at something you’d like to explore further in future? Is it something you’ve done before?
Yes. It’s interesting to see my artwork exist outside the conventional gallery setting. There’s something appealing about making an object that can be used and interacted with rather than only looked at. I wouldn’t want everything I make to be functional, but it’s definitely something I’d be open to exploring more.
Do you play ping pong?
Occasionally, yes. My dad was a very good table tennis player who was a league player when he was younger and also coached, so I always enjoyed having a game with him. Unfortunately, he passed away recently and I know he would have loved to have seen this. I can hold my own in a competitive game, although I definitely wouldn’t describe myself as a serious player.
Have you played with your table nets and bats?
Yes, I’ve been playing on it with my teenage children and they love the table too. It’s nice to see it actually being used rather than treated as something too precious to play with.
Photo credits: Art of Ping Pong
