Syntopia – Harvesting the Forest; MoA Design Research Studio. Prototype by Gaia Reiner. Copyright: Gaia Reiner
Harvesting the Forest
The MoA Design Research Studio »Syntopia — Harvesting the Forest« investigated how materials collected in the forest can be formed into architectural structures. Such materials can for example be branches, leaves, moss, bark, grass or even earth. It was structured in three successive phases. Phase 1 engaged in the speculative design of »Stories of Syntopia«. Phase 2 introduced harvesting, analyzing, making and recording in »Designing Syntopia«. In phase 3, we shared our vision and our designs with a wider public by »Showing Syntopia«.
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Bi-Leaf - Morphology of a Movement, Antonia Dönitz, Master Thesis Textile and Material Design, 2024. Image Copyright: Antonia Dönitz / weißensee school of art and design
Student Projects On View in Collaboration with »Matters of Activity«
On July 20th and 21st, 2024, 12.00–8.00 pm, weißensee school of art and design berlin will open its studios for the traditional Open House. Also this year, there will be the opportunity to learn more about the design research projects and students’ works developed during the previous year, some of them in cooperation with or in classes led by researchers of the Cluster of Excellence »Matters of Activity«.
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Keyvisual Coding IxD
Interactive Exhibition of the Semester Project »Coding IxD« kicks off February 14 at Weizenbaum Institute
The opening of the final exhibition and panel discussion of the interdisciplinary semester project »Coding IxD« took place on February 14h, 2024, at the Weizenbaum Institute for visitors to explore the interactive student projects. As we enter a world where technology does not only surround us, but is also inseparable from and inside of us, it is time to rethink how we design for and with the human body. The rise of wearables, body tattoos, and e-textiles demonstrates the increasing ubiquity of technology in capturing vital body data.
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MoA Design Research Studio »DeLIGHTful«, 2023/2024. Copyright: weißensee school of art and design berlin
Final Presentations of MoA Design Studio at Weißensee School of Art and Design
On February 14th, 2024 the MoA Design Research studio project »deLIGHTful interactions« held its final presentation at Flughalle 4th floor, weißensee school of art and design berlin. Using the example of light, project contributors led by MoA member Carola Zwick explored how civilizational practices and rituals evolve when technological conditions change. Light offers itself as an exciting and, above all, highly accessible topic to illuminate this field of tension in an exemplary way. For »deLIGHTful interactions«, students worked with light as an active material, demonstration the wide range of technological possibilities at our disposal to develop meaningful and enjoyable interactions.
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»Yu Li, a diary of cooking a curtain« by Tin Qizhen Gao, detail of curtain. Copyright: Mareike Stoll for MoA Design Research Studio Beyond the Curtain
Documentation of the Final Presentations and Exhibition
The Final Presentations of the MoA Design Research Studio »BEYOND THE CURTAIN. Creating Transient Environments« took place on February 13, 2024, at the Foyer of the Weißensee School of Art and Design Berlin. The MoA Design Research Studio »BEYOND THE CURTAIN. Creating Transient Environments« explored curtains as active spatial elements. Within the framework of the semester project, numerous inspiring and convincing works were developed.
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Syntopia. Copyright: Jihae Lee, weißensee school of art and design berlin
Final Review of MoA Design Research Studio
We hereby cordially invite you to the final review of the MoA Design Research Studio »Syntopia—Harvesting the Forest«, which will take place on Tuesday, July 18th, in Room 2.03 at weißensee school of art and design berlin. The studio led by Cluster Professor Karola Dierichs, investigated how materials collected in the forest can be formed into architectural structures. Such materials can for example be branches, leaves, moss, bark, grass, or even earth.
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Minimal Machines 2
Hygroscopic Hemp
The MoA Design Research Studio »Minimal Machines 2« investigated functional applications for the shape-change of hemp-rope under variant ambient humidity conditions. Hemp is a biogenic plant-based material. It displays hygrophilic behaviour meaning that it absorbs water from the environment and consequently changes shape.
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Teaser Coding IxD (7), Let’s Get: Physical, 2023.
From the Practice of Interdisciplinary Education: Making Data Tangible
In the winter semester 2022/23, »Coding IxD« entered its seventh round. This time, students were researching and discussing the possibilities of data physicalization to take informed action based on personal data. The results of their explorations can be experienced during an exhibition at the CityLAB Berlin from February, 16th–23rd, 2023.
The interdisciplinary course for students from the Department of Computer Science at Freie Universität Berlin and the Department of Product Design at weißensee school of art and design berlin is based on a long-standing cooperation between MoA members from these institutions: Claudia Müller-Birn (Freie Universität Berlin) from the Human-Centered Computing Research Group and Carola Zwick, Judith Glaser and Thomas Ness from the Embodied Interaction Group at kunsthochschule weißensee. more
The interdisciplinary course for students from the Department of Computer Science at Freie Universität Berlin and the Department of Product Design at weißensee school of art and design berlin is based on a long-standing cooperation between MoA members from these institutions: Claudia Müller-Birn (Freie Universität Berlin) from the Human-Centered Computing Research Group and Carola Zwick, Judith Glaser and Thomas Ness from the Embodied Interaction Group at kunsthochschule weißensee. more
Final Presentation »The Tone of Things«. Copyright: weißensee school of art and design berlin
Final Presentation of the Interdisciplinary Semester Project (eLAB)
In the interaction with our environment, all senses play together shaping this experience. In addition to visual and tactile qualities, physical things also have a sound inherent in their material and form, which can be experienced in the process of interacting with them. Objects of the technosphere often use sound only in a very primitive form to convey information. In this project, we explored the auditive space in order to enrich everyday objects and situations through consciously designed sound experiences. The goal of the studio project, finally presented on February 16th, 3.00 pm was to create an interaction or an object that exemplifies this new quality and thus establishes the »tone« as a dimension to be designed.
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Coding IxD 7, Invitation Flyer, 2023. Copyright: weißensee school of art and design berlin
Interactive Exhibition of the Project »Coding IxD« Runs until 23 February
Unconsciously or consciously, we record our routines, for example by using a pedometer, marking our favorite places in the city, or monitoring our electricity and water consumption. How can this personal data be made tangible? This is the question that students from the Department of Computer Science at Freie Universität Berlin and the Department of Product Design at the weißensee school of art and design have been exploring together as part of the interdisciplinary course »Coding IxD.« The results of the project are presented in an interactive exhibition at CityLAB Berlin from February 16th-23rd, 2023, between 11 am and 5 pm.
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Poster »MoA talk« with Claudia Blümle. Detail from Marie Lund: Stills, 2013, sun-faded curtain mounted on stretcher frame, 120 × 200 × 5 cm.
MoA Talk by Prof. Dr. Claudia Blümle
The interdisciplinary lecture series MoA Talks was continued on November 7th, with a talk by Claudia Blümle, Professor of History and Theory of Form at the Institute of Art and Visual History at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. In the tension between visibility and theory, the talk »Öffnen und Schließen. Zur Medialität des Vorhangs in der zeitgenössischen Kunst« focused on the production of visual form, its pictorial techniques and materiality, as well as on the cultural and medial conditionality of the perception of art. The talk was hold in German.
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Flyer Open House 2022. Copyright: weißensee school of art and design berlin.
Matters of Activity Involved in Many Projects Presented
This year, weißensee school of art and design berlin finally opened its studios for the traditional open house after two years of digital presentations only due to the pandemic. On July 9th and 10th, 12–20 pm, there was be the opportunity to learn more about the students’ projects and works developed during the last year, many of them in cooperation with or in classes led by members of the Cluster of Excellence »Matters of Activity«.
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Minimal Machines 2 – Hygroscopic Hemp. Copyright: Nuri Kang / weißensee school of art and design berlin, Image: Karola Dierichs / weißensee school of art and design berlin, Matters of Activity.
Final Presentation of MoA Design Research Studio
On 5 July 2022 the final review of the MoA Design Research Studio »Minimal Machines 2 – Hygroscopic Hemp« took place at at weißensee school of art and design berlin. The MoA Design Research Studio »Minimal Machines 2« investigated functional applications for the shape-change of hemp-rope under variant ambient humidity conditions.
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KonsOasis. Copyright: An Guoliu
Small Solar Self-Suppliers
In the summer term of 2022, the Embodied Interaction Studio hosted the practice project »Heliobolici« at the weißensee school of art and design berlin. The Bachelor's and Master's students in the Product Design Department investigated solar technology's potential to make artifacts energetically independent. The solutions developed range from concepts for public infrastructure to personal use.
Many objects, tools or services we use daily require energy to produce heat, light, motor or computing power. A whole range of these artifacts could achieve energy self-sufficiency through solar power. In the project, we investigated objects and application contexts in which solar energy could be used to achieve energy independence. »Heliobolici« explored the question of to what extent this product dimension can generate new rituals of use and, therefore, new aesthetic archetypes. more
Many objects, tools or services we use daily require energy to produce heat, light, motor or computing power. A whole range of these artifacts could achieve energy self-sufficiency through solar power. In the project, we investigated objects and application contexts in which solar energy could be used to achieve energy independence. »Heliobolici« explored the question of to what extent this product dimension can generate new rituals of use and, therefore, new aesthetic archetypes. more
Copyright: Anders Ingvartsen
MoA Colloquium with Julian Lienhard
On June 10th, the MoA Colloquia at weißensee school of art and design continued with a talk by Professor Dr.-Ing. Julian Lienhard, structural engineer and since 2019 head of the Chair for Structural Design (TWE) and director of the institute of Architecture at the University of Kassel. The MoA Colloquia gave the opportunity for a small group of students to meet and exchange with leading experts of the field of computational design.
From left to right:
KIM | Milda Benjes, Nik Naumov, Aljoscha Peters, Alexia von Salomon
Doc-U | Anton Wille, Jonathan Rex, Una Preuß, Yiawen Yao
Discus | Antonios Hazim, Johannes Schmidtner
Bubble+ | Sarah Leicher, Ran Zhang, Alpaslan Inceismail
Cookie.Jar | Luis Günther, Benny Christian Henning, Meret Sonnenschein
CO2NLINE | Julia Mellert, Simon Sasse, Youran Song
Copyright: weißensee school of art and design berlin
Review Interactive Exhibition of the Project »Coding IxD«
What is digital sovereignty, and how can it be enabled by design? Students from the Department of Computer Science at Freie Universität Berlin and the Department of Product Design at weißensee school of art and design berlin explored these questions as part of the interdisciplinary course »Coding IxD« by means of Neo-analogue artefacts, i.e., products that represent a synthesis of the virtual and the material in form and function. The results of this project has been showcased in an interactive exhibition at the Weizenbaum Institute Berlin in February.
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Designing Matter 2. Copyright: Clara Poeverlein / weißensee school of art and design berlin
Final Review of the MoA Design Research Studio
On Tuesday, February 15th 2022, 10 a.m.–5.30 p.m., the contributors of the MoA Design Research Studio »Designing Matter 2« presented their results during a one-day final online review. »Designing Matter 2«, supervised by MoA members Karola Dierichs, Felix Rasehorn, Mareike Stoll, Mason Dean, Michaela Eder, Charlett Wenig, Binru Yang and John Nyakatura, investigated tessellated surfaces as material systems for textile architecture and product design.
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Material Geometry — Intersecting Cones I. Copyright: Karola Dierichs and Katharina Lindenberg; Institute for Computational Design and Construction, University of Stuttgart; Städelschule Architecture Class; 2013
MoA Colloquia Continue with Prof. Katharina Lindenberg
On February 8th, Professor Katharina Lindenberg gave a lecture on »Methods of Computational Design in the Context of Materialization« as part of the MoA Colloquia series at weißensee school of art and design berlin. Katharina Lindenberg is an architect, lecturer and researcher with a strong focus on material systems, computational design methods and geometry.
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»Digital:Sovereignity«. Copyright: Project Coding IXD
From the Practice of Interdisciplinary Education: Reshaping Digital Self-Determination
After an unavoidable pause due to the pandemic situation last year, the practice project »Coding IxD« (Informatik x Design) took place for the sixth time at the Cluster of Excellence »Matters of Activity« – this year covering the topic on »Digital:Sovereignty«. The course offer is a cooperation of the working group Human-Centered Computing headed by Prof. Dr. Claudia Müller-Birn (FU Berlin) and the Embodied Interaction Group by Prof. Carola Zwick, Prof. Judith Glaser and Prof. Thomas Ness (weißensee school of art and design berlin).
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Copyright: Leila Wallisser / weißensee school of art and design berlin
From Tile to Tesselation
The MoA Design Research Studio »Designing Matter 2« investigated tessellated surfaces as material systems for textile architecture and product design. A tessellated surface is composed of individual units—tiles—which are connected by a joining material—such as tissue. Designing the materiality and the geometry of these individual units and their joints allows to calibrate the functionality of the overall tessellation.
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Copyright: Elaine Bonavia & Elisa Martignoni, weißensee school of art and design berlin, 2021
Final Presentation of MoA Design Research Studio
»Minimal Machines« was an MoA Design Research Studio Project investigating the development of machines for non-augmented and augmented spinning on an architectural scale. The machines were to be used as devices in conjunction with a designed material. Given that one of the core paradigms of designing matter is the abolition of machines in favor of matter’s own inner activity, these machines were to be minimal. This could imply tools that are designed to perform the bare minimum required in the assembly of a designed material. Still, it could also mean that matter is designed to become operational—or machinic—itself.
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Scaling Fiber: Experimental Yarn. Copyright: weißensee school of art and design berlin
Final Review on 13 July 2021
The MoA Design Research Studio »Scaling Fiber: Experimental Yarn« explored the upscaling of fiber into yarns as structural elements for the architectural scale and context. It was carried out as a transdisciplinary exchange between architecture, textile technology, materials science and cultural studies aiming at new concepts for sustainable design technologies.
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BUGA Fibre Pavilion 2019, ICD/ITKE, University of Stuttgart, Copyright: Roland Halbe
Kick-Off Event of the new MoA Colloquia at weißensee school of art and design
On July 1st 2021, the MoA Colloquia at weißensee school of art and design was inaugurated by Professor Dr.-Ing. Jan Knippers. Jan Knippers is a consulting structural engineer and has been head of the Institute for Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE) at the University of Stuttgart since 2000. His interest is in innovative and resource-efficient structures at the intersection of research and development and practice. The MoA Colloquia gave the opportunity for a small group of students to meet and exchange with leading experts of the field of computational design. The lectures were streamed and accesible to the wider public.
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WEON prototype. Copyright: Netta Gigi, Harrison Tan, Fu Yitao, Jehyun Kim
Collaborative Studio Project with Students from the Dyson School of Design Engineering, Imperial College London, and weißensee school of art and design berlin
The phone call has taken a back seat as an interaction and is replaced by the multitude of applications such as navigation, healthcare, Internet of Things or social media. Various filters and filtering technologies interact simultaneously to shape our access and exchange with our environment. The studio project »Ultratool« addresses this development and investigates conditioning cultural and social behaviors within the technology ecosystem we live in. The aim of the project is to develop new product ideas and concepts, based on various analyses and design methods on technical and cultural aspects. »Ultratool« is a collaborative studio project of MoA Design Research Studio with students from the Dyson School of Design Engineering, Imperial College London, and weißensee school of art and design berlin. The final presentation was held on Wednesday, June 23rd, 2021 at 10.00 am–12.30 pm (CET).
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Hydroweave. Copyright: Stefanie Eichler & Juni Neyenhuys, weißensee school of art and design berlin
The Work was Realized at weißensee school of art and design berlin Within the Framework of the MoA Design Studio
»Hydroweave« by Stefanie Eichler and Juni Neyenhuys was awarded a recognition in the field of »Study« at the Raumprobe Material Award 2020. The project, which centers on a research-based design approach, was created in 2019 at weißensee school of art and design berlin as part of the MoA Design Studio »Scaling Nature (1): Wrinkles« under the direction of Prof. Christiane Sauer. Since 2005, Raumprobe has been a constantly growing online material database and physical material exhibition in Stuttgart. Raumprobe has been awarding the prestigious Material Prize annually since 2013, recognizing special materials.
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Ran Zhang, Design Sprint: Haptic Vision, 2020. Copyright: Ran Zhang
Final Presentation on 2 February 2021
In February 2021 we were heading towards the end of the hybrid semester and the Embodied Interaction Design Studio »Hyper Haptics«. On behalf of the group students were invited to the final presentation. The student projects covered a wide range of interaction concepts and haptic augmentation strategies.
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Project: Lara Rocho, weißensee school of art and design berlin. Copyright: Dr. Mareike Stoll
Final Review at weißensee school of art and design berlin
The MoA Design Research Studio »Designing Matter 1« investigated designed filaments and fabrics as architectural material systems.
»Designing Matter« denotes the definition of the form and the materiality for the component elements of a material in order to achieve a specific functionality. This process allows to utilize and enhance the inherent properties of a given material and ultimately to generate novel ones. Codes – either analog or digital – are used to implement the design of the material by means of a systematization of this form-function interrelationship. In this context the MoA Design Research Studio made contributions with respect to the development of designed filaments and the close adherence of the architectural designed fabrics to the production sequences and patterns observed in silk-cocoons. Take a look at the projects!
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Embodied Interaction (1) : HyperHaptics. Oscillating between physical and virtual tactility. Copyright: Judith Glaser.
Oscillating between Physical and Virtual Tactility
This winter semester, the Cluster Professorship for ›Embodied Interaction‹ was hosting the practice project ›HyperHaptics‹ at the weißensee school of art and design berlin. Together with MoA researchers, Bachelor and Master students of the Department of Product Design explored the potential of interlocking virtual and physical tactility. ›HyperHaptics‹ is thus a direct continuation of the research work of the project »Cutting«. The overall aim of »Cutting« is to investigate the haptic dimension of the cut. How can new haptic experiences be encoded? How can the ›Sensing Knife‹ or ›Virtual Dissection‹ be experienced in a prototypical setup and what is needed for this?
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Yin 阴 , Cindy Peng. Copyright: weißensee school of art and design berlin, Cindy Peng
Works on Display at weißensee school of art and design
The MoA Design Research Studio on »Growth« was a continuation of the »Scaling Nature« series introduced in Summer 2019. In this context, the core idea of the studio was to investigate matter as an active agent in the design process. This means that it has its own innate capacity of formation and performance, that is being designed from the bottom up. Scaling nature can be understood as the process of extracting principles from naturally occurring systems and taking them as inspiration for specific applications – during this process scaling operations necessarily are one key aspect of this translation. The results of the MoA Design Research Studio on »Growth« were on internal display at the weißensee school of art and design berlin from September 22nd to October 14th, 2020.
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»Scaling Nature (1): Wrinkels«: Liquid Lacquer. Copyright: weißensee school of art and design berlin / Luis Magg
Audience Online Voting for Most Popular Material Now Open – Vote Now!
Three of the projects from »Scaling Nature 1: Wrinkles« were nominated for the »Raumprobe Materialpreis 2020« – ›the‹ award for special materials. In the project »Scaling Nature 1: Wrinkles« students of the bachelor's program in textile and surface design at weißensee school of art and design berlin investigated material activity in natural structures and developed new design strategies for active surfaces in a spatial context. Until June 16th there is an online voting for the most popular material, selected by the audience – vote for our projects now!
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Copyright: weissensee school of art and design berlin
Review Interactive Exhibition of the Project »Coding IxD«
On February 12th, Product Design and Computer Science students of the weißensee school of art and design berlin and Freie Universität Berlin presented their work under the topic »Entity:City« in cooperation with CityLAB.
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»Scaling Nature (2): Fibers, Muscles and Bones« Final Presentation. Copyright: weissensee academy of art berlin
Final Presentation at weißensee school of art and design berlin
On February 11th, 2020 the final presentations of MoA Design Studio »Scaling Nature (2): Fibers, Muscles and Bones« took place at weißensee school of art and design berlin. We are very happy that many MoA Members were able to attend and discuss the students' works, as the final presentations showcased the inspiring journey of this semester's research-based design projects.
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Design Studio »Scaling Nature (1): Wrinkels«, Design: Juni Neyenhuys and Stefanie Eichler. Copyright: weißensee kunsthochschule berlin
at NuThinkers during Domotex Tradefair in Hanover
Students of the bachelor's program in textile and surface design investigated material activity in natural structures and developed new design strategies for active surfaces in a spatial context and showcase these at Domotex, Hanover, January 10th to 13th, 2020.
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Interim Presentation
On Wednesday, December 11th, 2019 the Interim Presentations of the semester project »Entity:City« took place at the Cluster. The five interdisciplinary teams of students of Computer Science (FU Berlin) and Product Design (weißensee school of art and design berlin) presented their concepts.
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Copyright: Jonas Lauströer, Amir Andikfar, John Nyakatura (HU Berlin)
Under the title »MoA Talks«, the interdisciplinary lecture series continued on November 19th at weißensee school of art and design berlin.
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»MoA Talks« is an interdisciplinary lecture series of the Cluster of Excellence »Matters of Activity. Image Space Material« running at weißensee school of art and design berlin. The lectures present different scientific positions from the Cluster. The first invited speaker in the winter semester 2019/2020 was Prof. Dr. Dr. hc Peter Fratzl.
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Coding IxD (5) - Entity:City
From the Practice of Interdisciplinary Education: Exploring Urban Spaces
The practice project »Coding IxD« (Informatik x Design) for students took place for the fifth time in a row at the Cluster of Excellence, that year under the term »Entity:City«. The course offer was a cooperation of the working group Human-Centered Computing headed by Prof. Dr. Claudia Müller-Birn (FU Berlin) and the product Design Department headed by Prof. Carola Zwick (weißensee school of art and design berlin). Computer Scientists and Product Designers were trained together in interdisciplinary teams.
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