Conversations with Strangers.

During this year, I have discovered that spaces and durations of convivial relations rest as much on material environments as they do on interpersonal and social encounters. The physical organisation of social space, and the ways in which humans make use of this space, are fundamental to the logic of connection or discrimination.

This project explores human interaction within the conditions of urban space based on empirical observations of our daily behaviours and it’s first installment was based in Bedforf Square in London. I identified it as a transitional space for many people who work in the centre of London, meaning that when people sit on those benches it's usually to have a phone conversation, eat their lunch or just get some sunshine – so to be in relatively solitary isolation rather than a state of openness towards others.

It is therefore that this kind of space provided me with only two individuals willing to share a moment with me. I recorded, transcribed, and illustrated our conversations in this booklet. Considering the bench as a tool for human interaction, it reveals that its efficiency in this role depends on the physical conditions it is placed in.