ART OF PING PONG

FEATURED FOUNDER ALGY BATTEN | WORDS PHILIPPA TODHUNTER | ILLUSTRATIONS MARKO ANSTICE

Creating moments of joy is at the heart of Art of Ping Pong. Colliding with the colour of art with the fun of table tennis, this spirited ping pong brand expresses its love of the game through the creation of products, events, collaborations and supporting good causes. For founder, Algy Batton, joy is more of a sensation than a feeling. It’s that moment when you’re so lost in what you’re doing because of the pure pleasure it gives you that external factors and worries subside.

AoPP is all about fun. From the early events and ping pong parties to working with great artists and illustrators, the joy of collaboration shines through every corner of the business. Though its growth has been very organic, AoPP is about to launch their illustration range of Mini ArtTables as well as a new bat design.

For Algy, AoPP is a side project - an avenue to channel ideas, experiment, challenge himself, iterate and have the much-needed freedom to fail. But his ultimate ambition would be to change that relationship. “It’s hard not to daydream about what could be,” he admits. “But I don’t think there is anything wrong with working for someone else early on in your career. You have so much to learn when you’re starting out that doing it under the security of a job where you can learn from talented people around you will bring huge benefits to when you’re ready to go out there with your own ideas.”

Since its inception, AoPP has raised well over £20,000 for various charities through auctions, exhibitions and partnerships. As Algy explains,

“We’ve always tried to use the engagement of playfulness to support good causes where we can. We really love the events as they’re always so much fun. And seeing people’s reactions is always rewarding. We were recently at the London Design Fair and had a lot of positive feedback. I never expected people to come up and say they thought it was the best product at the whole event. Bright colours, wonderful illustrations, and ping pong just brings a smile to people’s faces.”