Architectures of Care: A Framework for Radical Participation
Cotranspose
Greece
Care sustains us, yet in patriarchal societies, it is often weaponized as a tool of coercion and forced invisible labor. Meanwhile, countless lives are defined by its systemic withdrawal. We bring these voices together in North Evros to reclaim a traditional kafeneio—historically a patriarchal, male-only space. By rewriting its narrative through collective care actions, we transform this site of exclusion into a laboratory of agency. Together, we ask: What does real care look like, and how can we return it to our communities as an act of resistance and a shared human right.
Cotranspose reclaims spaces of belonging through care. While circular care empowers communities, it is often weaponized as a tool of oppression. In our communities, we see this through the systemic withdrawal of care, which marginalizes individuals and hinders participation. Simultaneously, in patriarchal societies, care is used as a form of coercion, forcing women into invisible, unpaid labor.
This project breaks these barriers to reclaim care as an act of resistance. We bring together international creatives who have experienced systemic neglect and local women who have provided care but rarely received it. Within a framework where care is provided by Cotranspose—meeting basic needs as a prerequisite for presence—these groups discuss what our systems and spaces require to foster social inclusion.
Our playground is a reclaimed kafeneio—historically a patriarchal space of exclusion. Here, participants move beyond theory to enact radical participatory resistance. Together, they co-create a methodology of care that is deeply embedded in the local context, transforming a site of historic exclusion into a visible hub of agency and shared human rights.