That knowledge drives me to get out of bed, lug around my heavy camera, and ride my bike until my legs are sore. I don't stick around long enough to witness the rush of players arriving after work to see their friends and catch up over a game, but I know it will come after I'm gone. I don't know who put these tables here or why, but people return to them day after day, even in the bitter winter snow. 'Maybe the New Topographics photographers were, too, when they assumed something similar all those years ago. 'Maybe I'm too hasty in thinking screen time, and isolation are the way of the future,' he concludes. After all, it only takes two people to transform these tables into a game and a hub of interactivity. By presenting the tables as ready and waiting, Paul argues that they are about the possibility, and promise, of connection. This doesn't mean that Play is a portrait of loneliness, though. 'I haven't introduced myself to any of the players, nor has it occurred to me to do so.' On occasion, people approach him to ask what he is doing, but for the most part, he keeps to himself. Instead, he prefers to scout the locations, take one exposure, and keep moving. Strangely enough, despite going to great lengths to photograph them, Paul does not play on the tables himself. I find traces of history in these unlikely monuments, and although they all seem the same, their differences capture my attention.' 'In the West, they're more modern, spare, and minimal. 'In East London, for example, where I am based and where many other artists live, the tables seem more creative,' he says. I find them in parks, but I also find them under busy motorways.'īesides acting as a reminder of how we used to live, these tables also helped Paul better understand his surroundings. It's sometimes difficult for me to catch them when they're unoccupied by players, and in some cases, they've blended completely into the fabric of the city. 'As I've learned, these tables aren't nearly as 'anonymous' or 'empty' as they might seem at first glance. gem Small 1960s lamp, information lamp, old table lamp, vintage metal studio lamp, antique industrial design lamp, industrial lamp. They represent a time when children and families spent their days outdoors, playing face-to-face. Black Iron Pipe Industrial Table Lamp, Farmhouse Bedside Light, Industrial desk Lamp, Edison Steampunk Lamp, Rustic Steel Pipe Reader Light.

'In an age when the average adult can spend most of their waking hours staring at a screen, these tables strike me as anachronisms. 'In these London tables, I find relics of a bygone era,' he explains.

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