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Design History Society

The Problem of Furniture


Source: Journal of Design History, Vol. 3, No. 2/3 (1990), pp. 157-163
Published by: Oxford University Press on behalf of Design History Society
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DOCUMENTS

Editor's note: Although this selection of pockets should be the key to modern (tubular steel, pliable metal sheeting,
texts on aspects of furniture design in dress. If you try to equip yourself with autogenous welding) provides us with
the 1920s may be read as self-contained, what you need you destroy the line of means of production which are infi-
it is intended primarily to complement your clothes; you are no longer well nitely more perfect and more effective
the articles by Benton and Macel else- dressed. You have to choose between than before.
where in this issue. working or being elegant. The insides of houses will no longer
The English costume which we wear look like those of the time of Louis XIV.
has nevertheless achieved one import- Hence the adventure.
The Problem of Furniture ant thing. It has neutralized us. It is use- Our needs are human needs. We all
ful to cultivate a neutral appearance in have the same number of limbs, with
The Adventure of Furniture the city. The main means of expression the same shape and the same dimen-
Renewal of the plan of the modern is no longer in the ostrich plumes of the sions. If there are differences on the
house cannot be undertaken effectively hat, it is in the face. This is enough. latter point, an average measurement is
without examining the question of Monsieur Waleffe, in Paris, disgusted
easy to find.
furniture. This is the Gordian knot. It with the English, preached a gigantic Standard functions. Standard needs.
must be cut, otherwise any pursuit of crusade: silk breeches and silk stock- Standard objects. Standard dimensions.
the modern idea is in vain. We are about ings, buckled shoes and suspenders, The idea of the standard is already
to change tack: a machinist age has 'French' elegance, Latin spirit! and well advanced. It is as old as the hills
followed the premachinist age; a new display of calves everywhere! This mis- and it has established the form of every
spirit has replaced the old spirit . . . fired; everyone just laughed. civilization ... The question of the
Woman has got there before us. She At St. Moritz, in the snow, modern modern standard is already well
has brought about the reform of her man comes into his own. At Levallois- advanced, but we take no notice of it.
dress. She found herself in this Perret, the headquarters of the motor The whole world has agreed on the
dilemma: to follow fashion and by doing car industry, the mechanic is a pioneer. format and dimensions of writing paper.
so give up what modern technology- We, office men, have been beaten by a Office furniture throughout the world is
modern life-had to offer. To give up considerable length by women.
adjusted to the format of writing paper.
The spirit of reform, then, has made
sport and, more materially, the chance The spirit of the machine age has
of employment which has given her a an appearnace, but no more. It still has used its ingenuity. What we have done
to make its impact on every aspect of life
productive role in modern life and for the motor car we have done for office
enabled her to earn her living. By furniture. A revolution has taken place:
following fashion she could have had So, what do we mean by furniture? the cabinet makers' workshops have
nothing to do with the motor car, she 'The means by which we make our social been closed and in other parts of the
would not have been able to take the rank known.' town we have created the steel furniture
underground or the bus, nor rush This, very precisely, is the way kings industry.
around in the office or in the shops. To think: Louis XIV was a brilliant expo- Accuracy, efficiency, purity of shapes
carry out the daily construction of her nent of this mentality. Shall we be and lines have arisen ...
toilet: hair-do, boots, buttoning her Louis XIVs? How about that! If there are I am going to maintain that apart from
dress, she would have had to give up millions of Louis XIVs on the earth, chairs and tables, furniture is in fact
sleeping. there will no longer be a Sun King.
So woman cut off her hair and her nothing more than pigeon-hole boxes.
Seriously, are we determined to be Now for the most part, these pigeon-
skirts and her sleeves. She goes around Sun Kings? holes at the moment are badly dimen-
bare headed, bare armed, with her legs Furniture consists of: sioned and of doubtful utility: at this
free, and she can dress in five minutes. Tables for working and eating. Chairs
More over she is beautiful; she enchants point I denounce waste, I will push the
for dining and for working. Armchairs
us with the grace of her figure, which enemy back into his trenches, and find
of various shapes for resting in various out what this furniture is really for. I
dress designers admit to have turned to
ways and boxes in which to stack the will make certain that, with the new
their advantage. objects we use. wood and metal industries, it is possible
The courage, the enterprise, the Furniture consists of tools, and ser- to construct accurate pigeon-hole fit-
inventive spirit with which woman has vants, too. Furniture serves our needs. ments with an admirable functionality,
revolutionized her dress are a miracle of Our needs are everyday ones, regular, of a size which is not approximate but
modern times. Thank you!
always the same; yes, always the same. definite and I will be led to conclude that
What about us men? A dismal state of Our furniture fulfils constant, daily,
affairs! In our clothes, we look like the traditional furniture of the cabinet
regular functions. maker and the salesman does not serve
generals of the Grand Army and we All men have the same needs, at the us well at all, that it is a cumbersome
wear starched collars! We are uncom- same times, every day, all their lives.
fortable in our working clothes. We relic, which opposes the economical and
The tools which would fulfil these efficient solution, since it obliges us to
need to carry about us an arsenal of functions are easy to define, and pro- build houses which are too large, and it
papers and small utensils. The pocket- gress, which brings us new techniques complicates existence by preventing
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rational administration of the house-
hold. Finally, its only purpose is an
aesthetic one. Now when an object of
utility no longer fulfils a function,when
its rationaleis aesthetic,it has become a
parasite and must be rejected.We will
seek a kind of aestheticswhich will suit
us better; we will look for something
which will conquer the heart and the
sensibilityof a modernman.
Let us play the game:
I draw a shelf with glasses on it; a
shelf with plates, soup dishes, etc.; a
shelf with bottles, decanters, etc.
Drawers with an automatic arrange-
ment of cutlery. This is the end of the '

chapterso far as eating utensils are con- u .


.-.' ^

cerned.
I draw a shelf with household linen,
sheets, table napkins, etc., a shelf with
personal linen, drawers with under-
clothes, stockings, etc.
I draw a shelf with shoes, a shelf with
hats.
I draw a garment hanging on a coat-
hanger;a dress.
That is all.
I have just made an inventory of the
objects in our daily use [1].
These objects are all in proportionto
our limbs, adaptedto our gestures.They
have a common scale, they obey a
standard. If I study the question-and 1 'C'est tout ...' Sketch illustrating that the 'casier', or pigeon-hole system of storage,
for twenty years I have been obsessed can accommodate every type of domestic object
by the anomaly of furniture(I formerly
earned my living by fitting out various
apartment houses)-I find a common problem of furniture and that of the production, which could be sold both to
measurement. I find the pigeon-hole aesthetic content of the home. After a the individual who is doing his own
which effectively contains all these rigorous analysis, we then came up with furnishing and to the architect at the
objects. the same dimensions again. planning stage. The former will deploy
I draw this pigeon-hole. It measures In 1925, the Esprit Nouveau Pavilion his pigeon-hole fitment against the
75 cm for the sides and 372 to 50 cm seemed to shed light, thought by many walls of his rooms or will use them to
depth or 150 X 75 at the front and 372to to be a pretty glaring light-on this establish either full-height or half-
75 for the depth. The variabilityof the question. height partitions (see the Esprit
depth measurement results from the Finally, in 1928, our expert in domes- Nouveau Pavilion, 1925); the latter will
variousmethods of the interiorarrange- tic interior design, Mme. Charlotte build the pigeon-holes into the walls.
ment of this pigeon-hole fitment. Perriand, also arrived at the same All that remains is to fit out the inside
In 1913, when I had to design collap- dimensions. While I am talking to you of these pigeon-holes. These 'fittings'
sible equipment for a travellingexhibi- now, in Buenos Aires, we should have a can range from the most simple, like
tion for decorative art (and decorative vast stand at the Salon d'Automne in available office furniture, to the greatest
art meant the whole bag of tricks from Paris demonstrating in peremptory possible refinement. These 'fittings', to
the office to the drawing-roomor the fashion the principle of the 'Equipment be installed later in the standard pigeon-
sitting-room),I discoveredthis standard of a modern dwelling' by standard hole boxes, can be sold at the Bazar de
formatof 75 cm and 150 cm. And I pro- pigeon-hole fitments. l'Hotel-de-Ville or in the Champs-
ceeded to forget about it. This has constructional, architectural, Elysees.
In 1924, we were preparing our Esprit economic and industrial implications: it When the house is completed, while
Nouveau Pavilion-in which we wished would be sensible to make pigeon-holes the painters are putting on the final
to solve once and for all both the industrially: containers in large scale coat, the day before the occupier moves

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in his books and his cases, the appropri- forward smoothly on ball bearings; your I have omitted to mention the 'style'
ate fittings for the different functions clothes are spread out before your eyes, in which-or accordingto which-we
are slotted into the pigeon-holes. The etc. [2]. have to relax!
doors will be added-sliding panels in Hence there is no longer any cabinet On the contrary,I have noticed that,
sheet steel, in plywood, marble, glass, markers' furniture in the house! I am accordingto the hours of the day, the
aluminium, etc.; a taste for simplicity or grieved to think about so many good nature of our preoccupations, the
opulence can be displayed according to craftsmen, but I feel that there is a need posture we adopt in a drawing-room
wish. to adapt ourselves to the new conditions (and which we change 3 or 4 times
And if the house is built by dry of modern life. during an evening), there are several
assembly, you can see how simple it all The reduction of furniture to the state ways of being seated. You sit 'actively'
is. of pigeon-holes which, if necessary, for working. The chair is an instrument
Try to imagine the new dwelling. form the wall itself, can also be obtained of torture which keeps you admirably
Each room is reduced to the adequate by basic methods of construction in wide awake. I need a chair when I am
minimum and its source of light (a long reinforced concrete ... working.
window or a wall of glass) is perfect. Its In the office or drawing-room, I sit down to chat: a certainarmchair
shape is suited to its purpose: the doors sewing-room or boudoir; always and gives me a decent and polite position. I
open in such a way as to guarantee easy everywhere, standard and accurate sit down 'actively'to delivera speech, to
circulation. In the bedroom, the library, functions are accomplished and ful- propounda thesis, to outline my point
the drawing-room, the office, the filled; objects of human dimensions, of of view: how suitable this high stool is
kitchen, shutters are raised or lowered standard measurements are put in for my posture!I sit blissfully and I am
and screens are slid at arm's reach. order. Farewell, treasure-chests of relaxed:this Turkishstool of the cavedjis
Behind these appear compartments yesteryear! . .. of Constantinople, 35 cm high and
suitable for what they should contain. Seats? 30 cm in diameteris a marvel;I could sit
Every object is arranged as in a jewel Let us present a new heresy: seats are on it forhours without tiring,just sitting
casket; certain fittings can be brought on my backside!And if there are 15 of
for relaxingin.
us in the small drawing-roomof our
little house, and we want to sit and do
nothing, the lady of the house takes
from a cupboard the 15 stools stacked
I -
one inside the other. I incline towardsa
more complete kief; I remember that
Noel, the head of the Voisin (Automo-
bile Company) coachworkdepartment,
equipped his 14-horsepower sports
model with a spring cushion arranged
on the floor;and I travelled500 km at a
stretchon it without feeling tired;I bear
it in mind when I furnish my drawing-
room.Herewe have the machineat rest.
We built it with bicycle frametubes and
we covered it with a magnificentpony
skin; it is so light that it can be pushed
with the foot, it can be movedby a child.
I thought of the cowboy from the Wild
West, smoking his pipe, his feet in the
air higher than his head, against the
chimney piece: complete rest. Our
recliningchaircan be put into any posi-
tion; my weight alone is enough to keep
it in the position chosen: no mechanics.
This is the real machinefor rest, etc. [3].
Modernwoman has cut her hair. Our
eyes have become acquaintedwith the
shape of her legs. The corset has gone.
Etiquette has fallen from favour.
Etiquettewas born in the Court. Only
certainpeople had the right to sit down
and then only in a certainway. Then in
2 Sketches showing dimensions of casiers and varieties of interior fitting

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Furniture
To make furnitureis the equivalent of
resolving a problem in which on one
side there are the needs of the consumer
(_......Ly^:-- t:. ,-^-
_ *-i--- and, on the other, the possibilities
offered by the manufacturerof satisfy-
ing those needs: to offer objects which
in theirmakingand usage correspondto
the economic exigencies of their time
[41.
This equation has ruled architecture

^
-
--~--- and the production of furniture and
utensils throughout time. Needs and
AI k L possibilities have changed over time
and it is these changes which have
produceddifferentnew solutions which
we call styles (les styles).
To makenew furnituredoes not mean
inventing new, bizarre, or unprece-
dented forms. In times past the artisan
followed establishment tradition. He
conceived and made the furniture.He
satisfied the needs and the desire for
luxury of one class. Outside influences
modified these desires-furniture
sitting position
showing varieties of sitting
33 Sketch showing position changed, the styles changed. Creation
was a logical sequence, the artisan
followed a well-wornpath, he made one
the nineteenth century, the bourgeois Lifeis full of opportunitiesfor collect- piece of furnitureafteranother,and per-
became king and ordered for himself ing ornaments which can serve to fected them. What characterizedthese
armchairs infinitely more sculptured promotethought: periods was: the artisan (creator and
and gilded than any the princes of the This pebble from the seaside executant),the desire for luxury of one
blood had ever had. 'Good manners' this admirablepine cone class and, as a result, uniquepieces of
were taught at the convent. Nowadays these butterflies,these beetles furniturecreated to satisfy the desires
this is nothing but a bore! A person of this polished steel machine com- and whims of an individual.
distinction never loses his distinction, ponent Which features of this system still
even at the Carnival. This reassures us! or this piece of ore. survive? Which are no longer valid?
And, above all, we are about to sit The Gods? It is the mind which Whichhave changed?
down better! createsthem out of things of the earth. The consumers are composed of all
And the house has been stripped of The adventure?Ah, yes, the furniture classes of the population. Their needs
its furniture. adventure!Events are moving forward: conform to well defined types. The
Space and light abound. the concept of furniture has dis- furniturethey requireis an economical
We move about, we act quickly. one, that is to say a type of furniture
And perhaps we will take pleasure in appeared.It has been replacedby a new
word 'domesticequipment'. whose form and material allow it to
contemplation, during this hour of rest, perform the functions for which it is
this hour of relaxation at home? Le Corbusier,'L'aventuredu mobilier', intendedin the best possible way, with-
This is the root of the matter, having a Precisions, Cres, Paris, 1929. Translated out wasting time or being tiring to use,
think. by Jenny Monk. and whose price does not exceed the
About the harmony of proportions, consumer'sbuying power.
or about some poem of mechanics,
about the life of ancient or modern
peoples, even a poem in verse.
or some music
J10;II,:R1IJT
EICOI)
a piece of sculpture, a painting
or a diagram, IE
!IITI hINs;IOI
or about such and such a photograph st. . d
()4SSnJ1'Problem-solvig : n d: m s =
of a simple, sublime, fundamental or
exceptional phenomenon. 4 Problem-solving diagram: need + means = solution
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The artisanhas doubledup as creator example: in times past one sawed it, diagrammaticform. Now we want to
and executant.The creatoranalyses and planed it, and assembledit. Todaythere look at the question in more detail and
synthesizes. He analyses the require- are bentwoods which can be given to examinethese solutionsone by one to
ments, the physiological functions, the infinitely varied forms (according to see how they can be interpreted in
economic capacity. He synthesizes in requirements);they are assembledwith practice.
knowingly interpreting the results of the aid of a vice, with nails, and At work
the analysis, and thus performs the dowels-this results in an economy of There are numerous types of work
work of a creator. work and the judicious employment of which, in the more or less distant past,
The executantis industry. Its modern the material.Thereareplywoods, which did not requireseats. Today,in orderto
tools, its methods of production, its can be used to make large continuous avoid fatigue, to concentrate more
organization, allow it to achieve a surfaces. The infinite variety of pro-
energy on the work to be done, one
perfectionin the executionwhich would cessed metals opens up new perspec- selects the most appropriate sitting
have been impossible with the old tives for the makingof chairs,as do new
position.
methods. It has at its disposal machined materials such as bakelised cardboard, The diagram[6] shows us the excess
raw materials.Manufacture,to be econ- fibre, ebonite and others. Rubber,foam of energy expended in different posi-
omic, has been broken down into its rubber,and inflated rubber,ensure the tions comparedwith that of lying down.
component parts. The factory produc- elasticityof chairs. One can easily imagine the advantages
tion of an objectfollows a long chain of In a following article we shall of working in a sitting position,
development in which everything is examine some solutions for chairs. We
compared with standing upright,
minutely regulated. It is through the shall attemptto outline the principlesof
squatting,or bent over.
careful study of each detail and by other furnitureand to show their rela- Let us take the example of office
judicious assembly that modern furni- tionship with the rest of the dwelling, work: writing. In antiquitypeople used
ture achieves its perfection,its beauty. and with the people who use them. to write standing up or squatting,with
Chairs Ern6 Goldfinger and Andre Szivessy, the wax tablet or papyrus balanced on
The function of chairs is to support the 'Meubles', L'Organisation Menagere, an arm or the knees. Not so long ago-
human body in the most favourable June 1928. Translated by Charlotte and even today in certainoffices which
position to carry out a particulartask. Benton. are immune to progress-people wrote
The diagram shows some of the types at tall desks, either standing up or
[5]. The line of the humanbody dictates perchedon high stools.
the theoretical solution of the piece of Furniture: Chairs
This irrational mode of work is
furniture. In an earlier article we indicated the unhealthy and needlessly tiring. One
To makethese chairswe have various need for different types of chairs for should sit at a particular height in
materialsat our disposal. The mannerof different types of daily use. We chose relation to the table: the chair's height
employing these materials is quite quite briefly four use-functions and we should be adjustable.One should retain
different to that of the past. Wood, for tried to find a theoretical solution in freedomof movementand be able to get
up easily: revolving chairs. One should
I i'JSOIiN LEjS SIEG9ES be able to relaxfromtime to time during
the course of work:a comfortableback-
rest, a rockingchair [7].
The problem of the work chair is
perhaps the most important,and it has
been the most widely researchedwith

/L_ A ","... '" the most comprehensive results. In


practice, office workers, etc., stay on
their chairsfor most of theirday. So one
can easily see how importantit is that
All IRAVAI.
these chairs should be well suited to
AU REPAS EN CONVERSATION AU REPOS
their function.
j
,tOSSIl I/TE! '
--." I The constructionof children'schairs
, for use at school and at home is one of
the most sensitive problemsof furnish-
ing. It has been emphasized time again
how importantthe seat is for the grow-
ing body, and how harmfulthe effect of
chairs which are too big or too small;
r'l
SOIJ N
TIO despite this, not enough attention is
paid to the question. In general,concern
5 Four requirements is concentrated only in those areas

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action, fixed by conventions, which
determines the degree of repose which
in turn determinesthe form of the seat.
The most comfortableposition should
not prevent the seated person from
thatof lying down
gettingup easily to fetch a cup of tea, for
example,or to look at objects [9].
Resting
6 Diagram indicating surplus expenditure of energy in various positions compared with No effort from the body. Relaxationof
that of lying down muscles and consequently nerves. The
means are the best formwhich supports
the posture without effort, and supple-
ness of materialwhich allows, as far as
possible, one to find a particularposi-
tion which is the opposite of that taken
at work. Some examples show how to
achieve this [0o].
7 Seats
suitable for work
Erno Goldfinger and Andre Szivessy,
'Meubles: les sieges', L'Organisation
Menagere, Oct. 1928. Translated by
CharlotteBenton.

The Materials of Furniture:


Siige, de Wood or Metal?
Tbonet, Fia.b.
Thenel. Flb bo.

Furniturein woodor metalor?


7 Seats suitable for work
Modern house construction no longer
relies on wood for roofs, floors or
window framesbut in the main turns to
which result in greater commercialor concrete and steel. Recently, wood has
only a question of materials and con-
industrialoutput. structionalmethods [8]. been increasingly dispensed with in
And this problem which has been interiordecorationand furniture.Floor-
well solved when it is a question of In conversation ing and wall surfaces which invariably
office work becomes complicated and The conversation position corresponds used to be treated in wood are nowa-
almost unrealizable when it comes to to an intermediate state, tending days more usually faced in artificial
domestic work. It is not only a question towardsrepose. It is no longer essential materials (Eternit). Even glass is fre-
of a lackof machinery,but of lackof will that all parts of the body-and even less quently employed. To an increasing
and a lack of understanding of the certain parts of the body-are concen- extent metal furniture is taking on
trated to their utmost on a particular various forms: chairs and tables in
problem, which results in one working
in undesirable conditions. The great objective.It is the relationbetween the tubular steel, office furniture in sheet
seated person and their freedom of steel.
variety of domestic work accentuates
the loss of vitality caused by unsuitable
furnishing.Fora fairlymodest priceone
could acquire mass-produced seats
whose height can be adjustedto suit the
work in hand, and whose simplicityand
qualityof materialrequirelittle upkeep.
At meals li-
I
Much less complicatedthan the condi-
tions of work are those of meals. Never- AL I
theless a good body position for the
consumption of food is in the interests
of health. Given that this position is
determined only by the human body
and can be consideredas a constant at
any given time the differences will be 8 Chairs suitable for use as dining chairs

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understoodin successfulapplicationsin
other fields, has until recentlynot been
exploitedin wood manufactureis due to
the vagariesof the material:
Wood is changeable, it swells, dries
out,
permanentlychanges shape.
Wood is vulnerable to water and
I , a damp.
Wood is heavy, because of its high
watercontent (the wood in the coach-
work of a Ford car weighs, for
example, 14 kilos).
9 Easy chairs Wood is flammable.
Some of these defects can be counter-
acted by expensive treatments of the
wood and protractedand complicated
forms of assembly: composite sheets,
plywood, zinc, cross-grainingand glue.
But every theoretical or practical
Al IHEM
attempt to create a durableand homo-
geneous materialhas been more or less
frustrated, either because of cost or
practicalities.
The search for newer materials-
waterproof veneers, linoleum, glass,
marble-entails a complication of
manufactureand thus expense.
That there is a need for a new, better
and homogeneousmaterialis provedby
the even greater stress placed on new
artificialmaterials such as wood-metal
Goldfinge et Szivessy.
Mintyelair, (a bond of wood and metal), Xylotekt,
Eternit, Galalith, vulcanized fibre,
pasteboard,resinous products.In appli-
o1 Chairs for relaxing in. Top right: chaise-longue by Goldfinger and Szivessy; centre: cation, these sometimes produce good
Minty wicker chair surfaces,cheaperand betterthan wood.
Butjuxtaposinglayersof these materials
This proves that wood in its present machine-madesides, doors and tops of does not yet produce a homogeneous
varieties can no longer serve modern cupboards. From this has followed material. And furthermore, the new
requirements. quickerand cheaperproduction. materialshave eitherprovedthemselves
To test the correctnessof this obser- Quick, because each prefabricated hygroscopic or for various reasons
vation, we must look more closely at the component can be assembled and impracticalfor construction.
heightened demands made on wood delivered in the shortest time, without Researchinto metal box furniturehas
today. the transportation of the production shown that steel furnitureis cheaperto
It is characteristicof the tempo and process from A to B. manufacturethan wood. Apartfromthe
rationalmentalityof our time that even Cheap because of the piece-work greaterweight and the consequent dis-
the furnitureindustry is undergoing a system and the standard packing in advantages of transportation, metal
process of standardizationand normal- storage. furniture has in its favour greater
ization. Office furniture, kitchens and Another advantage is the possibility durability and fire-resistance. These
special fittings for hotels, hospitals and of respondingto changed conditionsby factors must inevitably lead to the
such-like give plenty of evidence of the enlargingor alteringinstallations,using virtual eradication of wood for wall
applicationof this principle. From this standard parts whose normalized surfacesand the furnitureindustry.The
specializationand normalizationin the dimensions for height, breadth and characteristicsof the new materials of
manufactureof cars and machines and, depth allow for simple and convenient the futurecan be identifiedas:
lately, dry-assembly house building, combinations. Absolute reliability, exact dimen-
there have emerged some examples of That this kind of modern manufac- sional stability,high durability.
standard furniture parts such as the ture, whose advantageshave long been Resistanceto water and fire.

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