All posts tagged: THE WA (FR)

Elfo and The Wa Say “Thank You All” to Noone in Italy.

Elfo and The Wa Say “Thank You All” to Noone in Italy.

In this charming and historic little village in northern Italy called Isola de Cevo, a new art installation of placards in the streets must have townspeople a little puzzled.

If there were any people here to see it.

Elfo & The Wa collaboration “Thank You All” in Isola di Cevo, Italy. (photo © Elfo)

According to most accounts, this town’s population has dwindled to zero; a fate that many Italian towns have been victim of in the last two decades due to changing demographics and economics. If government initiatives are not successful at encouraging outsiders to repopulate, many of these viilages are destined to become ghost towns.

Elfo & The Wa collaboration “Thank You All” in Isola di Cevo, Italy. (photo © Elfo)

“During the installation we saw only two cars go by on the road,” says Elfo of the new installation he did with The Wa. They call the selection of opinions and bromides on sign posts, “THANK YOU ALL” – an absurdist act that may make you think of the former residents, the lives that once made this a village. “Me and The Wa had this idea that we wanted to search for an abandoned place for our ironic protest,” he says, and it is true that it makes little sense on the face of it.

An Italian and a Berlinian mounting a protest with no protesters in a place with no audience carrying messages with basically no message?

“Nonsense wins!” says Elfo.

Elfo & The Wa collaboration “Thank You All” in Isola di Cevo, Italy. (photo © Elfo)
Elfo & The Wa collaboration “Thank You All” in Isola di Cevo, Italy. (photo © Elfo)
Elfo & The Wa collaboration “Thank You All” in Isola di Cevo, Italy. (photo © Elfo)
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“NUART 2012” International Street Art Catalysts in Norway

“By far the best exhibition we’ve yet created,” says Martyn Reed, organizer of the Nuart 2012 street art festival as it draws to a close in Stavanger, Norway.  What’s left after two weeks of painting, panel discussions, and parties stands on it own; The Art.

On old factory buildings, bricked stairways, in labyrinthine tunnels, and hanging on gallery walls, the city itself has welcomed international Street Artists to do these installations over the last decade and the funding for the events, artists, and materials are largely contributed to from public grants.

It’s a stunning model of arts funding that we’d like to see more of; one that is sophisticated enough to make behavioral and aesthetic distinctions and that is appreciative of the positive contributions of Street Art to the contemporary art canon. Here is one model that recognizes the importance of art in the streets as something necessary, valued. And the city of Stavanger keeps inviting a varied mix of well-known names and newcomers who show promise year after year.

Ben Eine (photo © Ian Cox)

At some point during the panel discussions at Nuart Plus this year there was talk about the dulling effect that the growing popularity of Street Art festivals specifically and sanctioned public art generally can sometimes have on the finished pieces. Certainly we are all familiar with those brain-deadening community murals of yesteryear that include lots of diversity, droning morality lectures and cute ducks. But we think the right balance of currency, community, and unchecked creativity can often catalyze great results, and smart people will know how to help keep it fresh.

Another topic discussed this year, at least in part based on our 2011 essay “Freed from the Wall, Street Art Travels the World”, which we wrote for Nuart’s “Eloquent Vandals” book, is the game-changing influence that the Internet continues to have on the Street Art movement itself.  Considering that in the last year alone we have shown you art in the streets instantly from Paris, Iceland, Istanbul, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, Trinidad, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Copenhagen, London, Sweden, Atlanta, Bristol, Baltimore, Boston, Berlin, Beijing, Brooklyn and about 25 other cities on five continents, we think it’s worth quoting the intro from that essay; “The Internet and the increasing mobility of digital media are playing an integral role in the evolution of Street Art, a revolution in communication effectively transforming it into the first global people’s art movement.”

Aakash Nihalani (photo © Ian Cox)

Solidly, Stavanger took a lead in the Street Art festival arena early and is still setting standards for high quality as an integrated cultural event without compromising integrity with so-called ‘lifestyle’ branding. These images from 2012 show just a sampler of the many directions that Street Art is taking us, with traditional graffiti and letter-based influences and new overlays of 20th century fine art modernism keeping the scene unpredictable and vibrantly alive. Nuart artists this year included Aakash Nihalani (US), Dolk (Norway), Eine (UK), Ron English (US), Saber (US), Sickboy (UK), Mobster (UK), HowNosm (US), Niels Shoe Meulman (NL), Joran Seiler (US), and The Wa (France).

Thanks to Ian Cox for sharing these images, some exclusive and some previously published.

Aakash Nihalani installing a piece on the street. (photo © Ian Cox)

Sickboy takes in his indoor installation. (photo © Ian Cox)

Saber at work. (photo © Ian Cox)

Saber (photo © Ian Cox)

How & Nosm (photo © Ian Cox)

How & Nosm (photo © Ian Cox)

How & Nosm (photo © Ian Cox)

Jordan Seiler (photo © Ian Cox)

Mobstr takes in the wall. (photo © Ian Cox)

Mobstr makes MOM proud. (photo © Ian Cox)

Mobstr indoor installation. Detail. (photo © Ian Cox)

Mobstr makes friends with the notoriously wet climate in Stavanger. (photo © Ian Cox)

Ron English at work on his indoor installation. (photo © Ian Cox)

Niels Shoe Muelman working on his indoor installation. (photo © Ian Cox)

Niels Show Muelman (photo © Ian Cox)

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Fun Friday 09.28.30

BROOKLYN! Jay-Z opens the new stadium in Brooklyn tonight with a lot of fanfare – and if you don’t have tickets just have a blast in the hundreds of studio spaces and gallery shows and “in the street” installations and performances starting tonight at the Dumbo Arts Festival that brings thousands coursing through the neighborhood over the next three days.

Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, and Quincy Jones. (VIDEO)

Here’s a clean way to see writing on Brooklyn walls and to practice your lyrical skillz.

1. Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, and Quincy Jones. (VIDEO)
2. Nuart 2012 Begins in Norway
3. NY ART BOOK FAIR at PS1 (LIC, Queens)
4. DUMBO ARTS FESTIVAL 2012 (Brooklyn)
5. Futurism 2.0 at Blackall Studios (London)
6. JAZ “Metodologias del Discurso” (Argentina)
7. Narcelio Grud “Paraphernalia” (VIDEO)
8. Daytime Bombing with HNR (VIDEO)

Nuart 2012 Begins in Norway

Named the Cultural Capital of Europe a few years back, Stavanger has remarkably open minds and has embraced a select slice of the Street Art scene that is displayed this time of year via large mural installations, indoor shows, and speakers. NUART was born here and it set the standards for many Street Art Festivals that have followed since NUiART first opened its walls to visiting international Street Artists in the early 2000s. NUART 2012 opened Thursday with a full day of activities related to NUART PLUS and it will continue thorughout the weekend with the opening of Tout Scene on Saturday. The list of participating artists this year include: AAKASH NIHALANI (US), DOLK (NO), EINE (UK), RON ENGLISH (US), SABER (US), HOWNOSM (US), MOBSTR (UK) NIELS SHOW MEULMAN (NL), JORDAN SEILER (US), THE WA (FR), SICKBOY (UK).

How & Nosm. Detail. (photo © Ian Cox)

For more information on all activities and schedules regarding NUART PLUS click here.

For more information regarding Saturday’s Opening of Tout Scene click here.

NY ART BOOK FAIR at PS1 (LIC, Queens)

People who are designing and creating independent zines and books are a really important part of the Street Art and graffiti D.I.Y. culture and PS1 in Long Island City is a vast feast of cool printed matter this weekend.  Starting today and running through Sunday, the Fair is presented by the esteemed establishment Printed Matter and if you don’t find stuff that engages you and blows your mind, it will be a surprise. One of the groups we highly recommend that you go and visit is the Pantheon Projects table (#12) where you’d find delicious hand crafted zines by Avoid, Droid, R2 and Carnage.

Illegal Trouble II by Droid and R2. B & W photos, poems, recipes and interviews with Fade AA and Skuzz. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

These little art books capture stuff on the street in a way that helps you organize and appreciate it – with wit and a street poet approach. They also can give advice occasionally, like the recipe we found for juicing cucumbers/pineapple and something else to  produce “donut water”. Feast your eyes on the dope  images and take in the authors’ notes and observations as they rack up serious road miles for the love of art and discovery. Here is a selection of images from spreads of these zines to give you an idea of what we’re talking about.

Illegal Trouble II by Droid and R2. B & W photos, poems, recipes and interviews with Fade AA and Skuzz. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Live The Dream Learn to Die II by Droid 907 and Avoid. A Road Trip with B & W photos, maps, inserts, guides and journals.  (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Live The Dream Learn to Die II by Droid 907 and Avoid. A Road Trip with B & W photos, maps, inserts, guides and journals.  (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Carnage. The stickers issue.  (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Carnage. The stickers issue.  (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Carnage. The doors issue.  (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Carnage. The stickers issue.  (photo © Jaime Rojo)

For further information, schedules and transportation regarding this Art Fair click here.

DUMBO ARTS FESTIVAL 2012 (Brooklyn)

This weekend Brooklyn is the the cultural STAR of New York City once again. The DUMBO Arts Festival opens today with more than 500 artists participating from all over the world. There will be open studios for you to visit, outdoor installations for you to explorer and huge video projections for you to be in awe of. Hop on the F train and get off at Jay Street and take in the breathtaking and majestic views of the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges with the city’s skyline as a background.

XAM installation from DUMBO Arts FEst 2011 (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Leo Kuelbs projection from Dumbo Arts Fest 2011. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

For full schedule of events click here.

Futurism 2.0 at Blackall Studios (London)

The Future is in London tonight with FUTURISM 2.0 a group exhibition at the Blackall Studios presented by Gamma Proforma is now opens today to the general public with a reception starting at 6:00 pm.

Augustine Kofie, fresh from his participation in our GEOMETRICKS show show, turns his attention to London to showcase his beautiful paintings alongside other artists who collectively are illustrating the same direction of abstract geometry on the streets right now, including Phil Ashcroft, Boris Tellegen (Delta), James Choules (sheOne), Matt W. Moore, Mark Lyken, Sat One, Christopher Derek Bruno, Moneyless, Mr Jago, Nawer, O. Two, Morten Andersen, Keith Hopewell(Part2ism), Jaybo Monk, Poesia, Derm, Jerry Inscoe (Joker), Remi/Rough, Divine Styler and Clemens Behr.

Augustine Kofie. Detail. GEOMETRICKS (photo © Jaime Rojo)

For further information regarding this show click here.

JAZ “Metodologias del Discurso” (Argentina)

JAZ’s new solo show is now open at the Kosovo Gallery in Cordoba, Argentina. Known for his representational exploration of beasts and men this artists likess to work big with over scaled representations of his subjects. Internationally known, you’ll see his stuff at Street Art Festivals around the world, and in some back alleys and empty lots too.

JAZ at Open Walls in Baltimore this Spring. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

For further information regarding this show click here.

Narcelio Grud “Paraphernalia” (VIDEO)

Daytime Bombing with HNR (VIDEO)

From Tags and Throws.com

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NUART 2012 Countdown Begins

How Nosm (photo © Ian Cox)

 This spring we were invited to attend and speak at this years Nuart festival and although we can’t be there personally we’ve still have some great talents on the Stavanger front who will be providing you with stunning and scintillating BSA exclusive action over the next few weeks. So two days before the official opening, here are a few shots of Street Artists in preparation for this non-commercial festival/symposium/party/debauched art camp that has taken place in Norway for the last decade or so.

How Nosm (photo © Ian Cox)

All the artists arrived a week ago and they have been getting busy on their designated outdoors walls and indoors tunnels. Martyn Reed invites participants inside this complex of buildings that once housed a brewery with interconnecting tunnels – a fitting atmosphere for the hooligans who are accustomed to exploring the urban environment. The official date for the public to see the completed walls is this Saturday with the opening night of Tout Scene.

This year’s talent lineup again represents a wide swath of mostly European and American Street Artists including Aakash Nihalani (US), Dolk (NO), Eine (UK), Ron English (US), Saber (US), How Nosm (US), Mobstr (UK), Niels Show Meulman (NL), Jordan Seiler (US), The Wa (FR), Sickboy (UK).

With our sincere thanks to the talented photographer and occasional BSA contributor Ian Cox who is also in NUART snapping away as the artists work on their installations. Our thanks also to partners Martyn, Marte and Victoria for helping us bring Nuart to BSA.

How Nosm (photo © Ian Cox)

How Nosm (photo © Ian Cox)

Jordan Seiler (photo © Ian Cox)

Jordan Seiler (photo © Ian Cox)

A small army of volunteers help make NUART a success every year. (photo © Ian Cox)

One of the tunnels (photo © Ian Cox)

Click here for a the full schedule and information on Tout Scene

 

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Nuart Presents: Nuart Plus International Street Art Summit (Stavanger, Norway)

Nuart Plus

NUART PLUS
STAVANGER NORWAY : 27/28/29 SEPT

Nuart Plus, one of Europe’s first international Street Art summits kicks off this year!
Thurs Sept 27- Sat 29th Sept sees a host of industry professionals, creatives, authors and critics descend on Stavanger to discuss, dismantle and fight their way through issues surrounding Street Art, advertising, urban development and related issues.
http://www.nuartfestival.no/nuart-plus

Three days of keynote talks and presentations, panel debates with visiting artists, film premieres, street art tours and more. See full program attached.

Guests and Keynote speakers include
Carlo McCormick (US) – Tristan Manco (UK) / Ron English (US) / Saber (US) / Jordan Seiler (US) / Jon Burgerman (UK) / The Wa (FR) / RJ Rushmore (US) / Evan Pricco (US) / Kristi Guldberg (NO) / Eirik Sjåholm Knudsen (NO) / Marion Højris Jensen (DK) / John Xc (UK)


Nuart is proud to announce the latest addition to what’s fast becoming one of the most talked about events on the international street art calendar.

This three-day international Street Art Summit inaugurates the new PLUS series, a component of the festival that aims to bring together the public, artists and creative professionals in an environment of exploration, innovation and discovery.

Open to the public, Nuart PLUS is a professional gathering that explores the ever-strengthening links between creativity and our urban environment. Featuring a mix of keynotes, panels and presentations, the Nuart PLUS summit is a 3-day conference aimed at elaborating a cohesive view of the current trends within groundbreaking artistic mediums and proposing visions for the future.

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DAY 1 – Mental space
Day 1 will investigate the relationship between street art, the urban environment and advertising. For decades street artists have not only co-opted the visual strategies of advertising but also the physical billboards that advertisers use. Day 1 explores the corporate visual elements that surround us, how do they affect the way we engage and behave in society and what are street artists contributing to this arena?

DAY 2 – Physical space
Our second day is perhaps the most comprehensive, with a keynote address from renowned cultural critic Carlo McCormick as well as presentations, panel debates and discussions from a broad range of guests. Physical Space will tackle the complex relationship between Street Art, Urban Planning and our physical environment. Street Art and Graffiti now plays a prominent role in the cultural landscape and consciousness of a city. Can it and should it be assimilated. In other words, how can street art play a role in producing the city and society we wish to live in?

DAY 3 – Virtual space
Virtual Space will explore Street Art’s life on the web by exploring the growing relationship between the street, the artist and the Internet. With rapid photo and film uploading sites, dedicated street art forums, social media sites, blogs, mobile apps and other sharing platforms, Street Art and its life on the Internet is now a multi-authored environment. Can we see specific changes in art practices and expressions due to this?

Full day program with keynotes, panels etc.: http://www.nuartfestival.no/nuart-plus

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FILMS:

Thursday Sept 27. Kl 1700. Sf Kino
POPAGANDA. “The Art & Crimes of Ron English”.
With a live introduction and post film Q&A with Ron English, moderated by Juxtapoz Editor in Chief, Evan Pricco (US)

The modern day Robin Hood of Madison Avenue, subversive artist Ron English is on a mission to liberate all billboards. He paints, perverts, infiltrates, reinvents and satirizes modern culture on hundreds of pirated billboards. Popaganda chronicles the evolution of an artist who offers an alternative universe where nothing is sacred, everything is subverted and there’s always room for a little good-natured fun.


Saturday Sept 29. Kl 1700. Sf Kino
EXIT THROUGH THE GIFTSHOP
Introduction to the film from author and Banksy confidente Tristan Manco (UK)

This is the inside story of Street Art – a brutal and revealing account of what happens when fame, money and vandalism collide. Exit Through the Gift Shop follows an eccentric shop-keeper turned amateur film-maker as he attempts to capture many of the world’s most infamous vandals on camera, only to have a British stencil artist named Banksy turn the camcorder back on its owner with wildly unexpected results.

One of the most provocative films about art ever made, Exit Through the Gift Shop is a fascinating study of low-level criminality, comradeship and incompetence. By turns shocking, hilarious and absurd, this is an enthralling modern-day fairytale… with bolt cutters.

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TOURS

THURS 27. STREET ART TOUR
STREET ART TOUR : ART AND ADVERTSING WiTH JORDAN SEILER (US) AND RJ RUSHMORE (US)
Join us for what’s probably one of the most unusual Street Art tours ever presented. Following on from the days discussions regarding who controls our mental/visual public space, Art V’s Advertising and the power plays in our utrban environment, Jordan Seiler (US), founder of the groundbreaking PublicAdcampaign and Rj Rushmore (US), founder of the highly respected Street Art site Vandalog will be your guides.

FRI 28. STREET ART TOUR #02
STREET ART TOUR #02 : LANDMARKS, WITH TRISTAN MANCO (UK)
Our second and final tour of the week will explore the work produced over the years in and around the city center and will take in several of the pieces created for this years event. Street Art and Graffiti now plays a prominent role in the cultural landscape and consciousness of a city. How can street art play a role in producing the city and society we wish to live in?

Hosted by world renowned Street Art expert and author Tristan Manco (UK), the tour will depart shortly after the final Nuart Plus talk of the day.

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NUART is Getting Ready for 2012

The NUART team in Stavanger, Norway are busy working on and organizing the last details of their ambitious NUART 2012 program for this Fall.

Still from video of ROA at Nuart (© Nuart)

Below is a promo video to get you ready to get ready to think about it and book your air tickets and accommodations and camera, black book, aerosol cans, markers, mints, condoms, and your most rockinest kicks.

So far the lineup for the opening on September 29 includes

RON ENGLISH (US), SABER (US), DOLK (NO), AAKASH NIHALANI (US), NIELS SHOW MEULMAN (NL), MOBSTR (UK), JORDAN SEILER//PUBLIC AD CAMPAIGN (US), EINE (UK), SICKBOY (UK), HOWNOSM (US), THE WA (FR).

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NUART FESTIVAL Presents: Nuart 2012 (Stavanger, Norway)

Nuart 2012

NUART FESTIVAL 2012 . STAVANGER NORWAY
“The best street art festival in the world”  September 29 – November 18

AAKASH NIHALANI (US), DOLK (NO), EINE (UK), RON ENGLISH (US), SABER (US),HOWNOSM (US), MOBSTR (UK) NIELS SHOW MEULMAN (NL), JORDAN SEILER (US), THE WA (FR), SICKBOY (UK)

Now in its 12th ground-breaking year, Nuart 2012 – the annual contemporary street and urban art festival based in Stavanger, Norway –is set to be the biggest yet. An invited international team of street artists will take to the streets of Stavanger from September 20 – with an indoor show running at Tou Scene from 29 September to 19 November. The likes of Ron English and Ben Eine will leave their mark on the city’s walls, both indoor and out, creating one of Europe’s most dynamic and constantly evolving public art events. Known as ‘the Cannes’ festival of street art, Nuart’s works are exposed to over 100 000 people each week – including some of the most talented, insightful and connected individuals in the urban art world. 2012 sees the event set to attract record numbers as the festival begins to go global, with the additional Nuart Plus summit – running from 27-29 September – bringing global professionals and experts in the field together to discuss and explore this un-stoppable movement in contemporary art.

Fromthe billboard hijacking activism of Ron English (US) and Jordan Seiler (US) to The Wa’s (FR) playful urban interventions, from Saber’s (US) uncompromising stance on the positive power of Graffiti to Aakash Nihalani’s (US) more concise and conceptual use of coloured tape, Nuart 2012 has brought together an unlikely group of “festival” artists, whose diverse work and methods offer an authentic reflection on the real practice of Street Art. The UK’s globetrotting, ‘Obama gift-giving’, Eine and LA’s HowNosm are sure to set the standard for large breathtaking murals, whilst Dolk – Norway’s finest exponent of the genre popularised by Banksy – will produce some of his iconic stencil-work. Alongside the character driven graffiti of Sickboy (UK), the calligraphiti of Amsterdam’s Niels Shoe Meulman and the text driven Mobstr (UK), Nuart is set to create an explosion of – ‘mostly legal’ –  works, both inside, and out. Nuart 2012 sees a conscious shift away from the “acceptable” face of Street Art that has become favoured by councils and municipalities around the world. Recognising that there is a danger of this vibrant culture becoming sanitised by a surfeit of oversized legal murals Nuart 2012 will continue to take to the streets in new and more illicit ways. Alongside it’s exhibition at Tou Scene – which will host over half a kilometre of works along its 19th century tunnels – outdoor landmarks and un-missable billboards will be re-envisioned as subversive pieces of striking art. And if this isn’t enough to excite you, sister festival Numusic will be providing the weekend’s entertainment, with the likes of Mad Professor, The Orb, Lindstrøm, and many more performing. Nuart is set to break more than just boundaries in 2012 – will you be there?

The private view of the newly finished works will be held on the opening night:  Saturday September 29.

Nuart Plus: Sept 27-29:
Three days of key note talks and presentations, panel debates with visiting artists and related .
Film premieres. Ron English presents the Documentary ‘Popoganda’.

Sept 29-Nov 18
Nuart Opening (Indoors). Tou Scene
Nuart once again occupies this 19th Century Brewery Complex turned arts centre nestled on the coast of the Norwegian Fjords. These seven abandoned tunnels, offer over half a kilometre of wall space, and although an indoor space, it still retains the rough and ready urban elements we’re used to. Each single tunnel, at 15 x 15 x 5 metres is larger than the cities main commercial gallery space. With a fore-hall for group works and collaborations and an interlocking tunnel measuring over 40 metres long, this vast space is ideal for experiencing the best that Street Art has to offer.

Education
This years exhibition will be open 6 days a week for 6 weeks and with regional council support, will be host to over 3000 of the city’s high school students, Nuart being favoured over the city museum to extend the students horizons. That’s right. It will be compulsory to attend.

Sept 27-
International Guest speakers include
Carlo McCormick (US), Editor of the influential Paper Magazine, author, curator and renowned cultural critic.
Tristan Manco (UK), Author of several highly respected books on Street Art, co-organiser of cans Festival and curator for Pictures on Walls
Elisa Carmichael (US), Recently listed as one of the 30 under 30 art professionals to watch by the influential artinfo, Curator and co-owner of LA’s Carmichael gallery and founder and editor of the Internationally distributed art magazine The Art Street Journal
Rj Rushmore (US). Founder and writer for one of the worlds leading Street Art blogs, Vandalog
Evan Pricco (US), Managing editor of world leading  art magazine Juxtapoz.

Nuart specialises in showcasing work born out of urban creativity; we pride ourselves on giving a voice to artists and movements that are under-represented in mainstream cultural life, though widely acclaimed internationally.

Nuart’s street work begins Sept 20th
Nuart Plus “International Street Art conference” begins 27 September.
Nuart’s main exhibition opens 29 September.
The exhibition will be open 6 days a week and run for a full six weeks until Nov 18th .

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