Mi casa es tu casa! A Spanish expression of welcome originating from Mexico. Who decides who is welcome and who is not; and what behaviour is acceptable? What does hospitality mean in a world where people interact and move spaces at ever faster speeds - online and offline?

At The Couch we are interested in exploring how hospitality can be used as a tool to reflect on power relations and ultimately alter them.

To come to grips with practices of hospitality and the roles of hosts and guests, we invite different writers to contribute their ideas in a Hosting column. Each column is written by a guest: a person or collective, describing an experience of hosting. They write from a different fictionalised or real persona, ranging from the body to the community kitchen.