Conversation Maps is a participatory project by Reynolds that invites participants to engage in a shared meal, during which the conversations that unfold across the table are discreetly recorded. Through the transcription and visual translation of these dialogues into a collection of drawings, Conversation Maps systematically charts and illustrates the emergence of a temporary community—one that both collides and coexists around the act of dining. Each drawing serves as both artifact and cartographic record, capturing the ephemeral interactions that transpire during the meal.
Complete with a legend denoting emotional responses such as laughter, interruption, inquiry, and excitement, the drawings offer viewers key contextual information: the location of the meal, the items consumed, and the time at which it took place. However, personal identifiers and specific discussion topics are intentionally omitted, prompting viewers to reconstruct their own non-linear narratives and relational interpretations. This absence of concrete details encourages an open-ended engagement with the layered dynamics of shared meals.
Conversation Maps poses several critical questions: What does it mean to host a meal in a specific location? How do the foods consumed influence interpersonal dynamics? Can specific dishes provoke tension, offer relief, inspire humor, or catalyze political discourse? Does a meal of pasta primavera and white wine create a different conversational atmosphere than burritos and beer?
By focusing on communication mediated through food, Conversation Maps examines how eating together acts as a microcosm of broader social structures. The project invites viewers to reflect on how we connect, negotiate, and construct meaning through the ritual of eating—locally, globally, and across cultural contexts.
