Different kind of church service

People can now play tennis inside the San Paolo Converso church in Milan, under the watchful gaze of stone statues and painted figures in the 16th century frescoes on the walls that depict the life of the Apostle Paul.

The full-functioning bright orange court is a creation by United States artist Asad Raza, called Untitled (Plot For Dialogue).

The Baroque church was deconsecrated in 1808, and has since been used as a warehouse, concert hall and auction room.

It now hosts the office of architect firm CLS Architetti, which has repurposed the building along with its elaborate decorations into a studio and public exhibition space.

The court is open to the public to take part in a game, and comes complete with net, rackets, tennis balls, iced tea, and coaches, as part of the interactive nature of the art work.

The court will be in place until Dec 16.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on November 22, 2017, with the headline Different kind of church service. Subscribe