Articulated and flexible objects constitute a challenge for robot\nmanipulation tasks but are present in different real-world settings, including\nhome and industrial environments. Current approaches to the manipulation of\narticulated and flexible objects employ ad hoc strategies to sequence and\nperform actions on them depending on a number of physical or geometrical\ncharacteristics related to those objects, as well as on an a priori\nclassification of target object configurations.\n In this paper, we propose an action planning and execution framework, which\n(i) considers abstract representations of articulated or flexible objects, (ii)\nintegrates action planning to reason upon such configurations and to sequence\nan appropriate set of actions with the aim of obtaining a target configuration\nprovided as a goal, and (iii) is able to cooperate with humans to\ncollaboratively carry out the plan.\n On the one hand, we show that a trade-off exists between the way articulated\nor flexible objects are perceived and how the system represents them. Such a\ntrade-off greatly impacts on the complexity of the planning process. On the\nother hand, we demonstrate the system's capabilities in allowing humans to\ninterrupt robot action execution, and - in general - to contribute to the whole\nmanipulation process.\n Results related to planning performance are discussed, and examples of a\nBaxter dual-arm manipulator performing actions collaboratively with humans are\nshown.\n