PACHINKO

• Städtische Galerie Reutlingen, 2014
• Pachinko machine (l 85 x w 56 x d 24 cm),
  750 pachinko balls
  
  

A Japanese pachinko machine, its original colorfulness much reduced, is mounted on an exhibition wall. As is usual for pachinko, the player—here the exhibition visitor—receives a particular number of small metal balls, which are fed into the machine. Operating a lever shoots the balls onto a field of pins, flaps, and holes. If the balls don’t simply disappear as duds but fall into special holes, the player wins extra balls. One’s prospects of winning can be increased with practice, but they mainly depend on chance.