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““I love the spontaneity of Athens,” says graphic designer Natassa Pappa, sitting in her living space-cum-studio – decorated with elegant typography and unconventional maps – beneath the Acropolis.

“People don’t wait for permission here. There is no system to follow, especially in the creative industries. You can do things that would never be possible in other cities.”

Natassa, 30, studied for her Masters in graphic design at AKV St. Joost in the Netherlands, learning to mix architecture and urbanism. She then developed an app that lets you experience a city by getting lost in it.

Natassa Pappa, the designer behind grassroots arts campaign Reclaim Athens.

So when news coverage of Greece grew increasingly dire, she felt compelled to come home and apply that philosophy to the chaos consuming Athens.

“It was 2013: the height of the crisis and the worst time to come back,” says Natassa, whose energetic demeanour complements her minimalist aesthetic.