benedetto bufalino turns a french apartment into a tennis court

benedetto bufalino turns a french apartment into a tennis court
all images courtesy of benedetto bufalino

for french artist benedetto bufalino, art is a playground for creative exchange. his latest participatory piece rethinks indoor tennis by placing it within the context of a habitable apartment, fitting a faux-grass expanse from floor board to fireplace. from now until october 31st, 2014, bufalino transforms interface gallery in dijon, france into a functioning and fun sport court, where visitors are invited to pick up a racket and strike up a match with an opponent occupying space on the other end of a door frame.

a small-scale net is tautly tied from one end of a white-painted wall to the other

balls bounce over a small-scale net tautly tied from one end of a white-painted wall to the other, with fault lines marking out-of-bounds and serving positions. players must find a way to carefully manipulate themselves and the tennis ball throughout the space, paying special attention to domestic objects strewn about, like radiators and windows. the artist’s application of the unexpected within contemporary art, and his interest in the redefinition of the norm, has led to a spirited situations that invite the idea of ‘art as a game’ to stimulate participation and play.

fault lines mark out-of-bounds and serving positions

players must pay special attention to domestic objects strewn about, like radiators and windows

a faux-grass expanse is fit around a fireplace

white markings indicate the court grounds