07.06.08
Posted in Photography at 9:03 am by Meesh
Mmm, mmm. I finally came around, and have taught my first workshop at the Maine Media Workshops, where I got my start back when it was called the Maine Photographic Workshops. The class was “Toying with Plastic Cameras” (are you detecting a theme here?), but it was quite different in some ways than the ones I’ve done before. This time around, we had 5 1/2 days, and it wasn’t just me talking the whole time. At MMW, students really get to explore trying things, making photographs, and in our case, getting down and dirty in the darkroom.
Looking at prints, in the darkroom and in the classroom
It started off like any other class, with me lecturing and showing lots of images. Everyone got Holgas, we taped them up and went out to play. Then we got into processing their own film, making contact sheets, and printing. So, after we did sessions in the studio (with strobe lights and all), at night, at Elmer’s Antiques, and in Rockland, everyone ran back to the darkroom to soup their film and see what they got. They tried new shooting techniques, upped their darkroom skills and knowledge, learned to love their Holgas, and by all accounts had a great time. Amazing how a week can seem so short!
Drying Prints and Clipping Holga negatives
I too had a fantastic time! We had our classroom in Union Hall, the wonderfully rickety old building where I spent most of my time in 1991, with a fabulous view of the harbor. I gave a public talk during the week, showing my images on that same wall where I was awed by the work of so many greats, when I was a total novice.
Union Hall - imagine me in the chair, my photos on the wall, and the room full of people
It was just a great week all in all, and I hope to return to Maine again (and again…).
~Michelle
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06.16.08
Posted in Photography at 5:35 pm by Meesh
My latest trip was down the coast in northern California. I’m part of an exhibition of photographs of the Burning Man festival, which takes place every year in the Black Rock Desert in Nevada. I applied for this show, 21 Days of Black Rock City, and was awarded not only a spot in the exhibition, but a residency in Berkeley where I made all the large-format digital prints and mounted them. The Creator’s Equity Foundation and Joshua Reichek organized the residency and show. Once I finished the prints, back in February, all I needed to do was show up for the opening, which, of course, was easier said than done, counting in transmission trouble and last-minute flights.
A whole bunch of people made their way to Petaluma (the land of no cell-phone service that even confounds car GPS systems) on a lovely afternoon for the opening on June 1st. The venue is the Marin French Cheese Factory, where cheese is king, but somehow they ended up with a huge empty building for a gorgeous gallery show. The location is also stunning.
The 21 Days of Black Rock City refers to a time-lapse film of the Burning Man festival building up and coming down, on three big fancy screens. Great technology! But the rest of the room is covered with dozens of large prints - up to 40″ x 60″ by 9 photographers: Me; Jason Day; Matt Freedman (a friend of mine from Seattle who I told about the show); Richard Gilmore; Marcel Peelen; Mary Rachel Reynolds; Philip Solomonson; John W. Tucker, Jr; and Joshua Weaver; (along with Lisa Benham, Tony Garcia, and Tom Price from Burners without Borders). These are really stunning. The print quality is fantastic, the mounting and hanging are great, and, surprisingly, the lighting is perfect. I’ve hung many shows in my years running galleries, and I know how hard it is, especially with big art. But they got top-notch lights and everything really pops. The opening was also catered with delicious food, wine and, of course, cheese.
I had a great bunch of people show up: old friends of mine and Matt’s, in from around the country, a posse of Chautauquans, straight from Utah Phillips’ memorial service in Nevada City, and various friends who live in the Bay Area. Topped off with a dinner for the artists (and friends), it was a glorious day!
My photos, taken with a Mamiya 6 medium format film camera (I scanned the negatives to make these digital prints)
My fire photos, shot on film with Nikons and scanned
More photos as I get a hold of them.
The exhibition is up through August 3rd, generally open Fri-Sun, 1-5. Check the website for more details or to arrange an appointment at other times.
~Michelle
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06.11.08
Posted in Photography at 12:03 pm by Meesh
This is a sad post, but also one that is a joyful acknowledgment of someone who’s been very important to me. Ike Royer passed away last week.
I first met Ike in 1997 or so at Photo Plus, a big trade show I attend every year in New York. He was at the Cachet Photo booth; Cachet was a photo paper company I think Ike was president of. I had just won first prize in the Golden Light Awards’ humor print competition, so I showed him my photo in the awards catalog (I had to cajole him a little…). He then consented to look at my portfolio, and I guess he was hooked on the Holga images. A while after that, he featured 10 of my images, with his commentary, on the Cachet web site. It was my first big web presence, and led into other things for me.
I saw Ike on and off over the years. Then, after not running into him for a couple of years, I got a call out of the blue (good lesson for keeping the same phone number). He was now working for Freestyle Photo, which had become the national distributor for the Holga. And, they had a group called the Freestyle Advisory Board of Photographic Professionals, which he invited me to join, sort of as their Holga poster child. After talking to Elizabeth Opalenik, an old friend and board member, I accepted. And it’s been a win-win relationship ever since.
I attended a Freestyle-sponsored conference/trade show in Santa Fe in 2004, where I was introduced by Elizabeth to the Santa Fe Photographic Workshops people, and got a workshop scheduled with them. That directly led to the book (Diane Heppner of Focal Press saw my course in their catalog and contacted me). Ike is the one who gave me the phrase “Toying with Creativity,” which I used for that course, and then for the book. Later, I had a solo exhibition at Freestyle’s gallery in LA, gave a standing-room-only talk there, and graced the cover of their catalog. Ike (and Patrick Dellibovi, my other main champion at Freestyle) were at my book release party in New York, during Photo Plus 2006; I was so thrilled that they were there, since the book wouldn’t have happened without them.
I called Ike “my other father.” He’s about the same age as my fabulous dad (may he live another 20 years), and always treated me with support, warmth, and caring. And always gave great big bear hugs.
I am so grateful to Ike for first taking an interest in a bouncy 20-something with an obsession for strange little plastic cameras, and continuing to help me to accomplish so much over the years.
I’ll miss him.
Ike in his office at Freestyle, February 2007, during my exhibition there, taken with a Lensbaby
~Michelle
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05.27.08
Posted in Photography at 9:48 am by Meesh
My latest trip was down south to the fabulous city of New Orleans. It was much quicker getting there this time - just a couple of flights, as opposed to the six-day drive I took in 2006. When I was there last, it was with the New Old Time Chautauqua’s Jambalaya Tour, which I photographed, then spent another week and a half in the city, helping out with Emergency Communities while editing my book, in a city in shambles. It was quite the experience.
This time was a little different, but also very fulfilling. I was contacted earlier this year by the New Orleans Photo Alliance about jurying their “Toy Stories” plastic camera exhibition. Since I was already committed to the Foundry show (happening at about the same time), I couldn’t be the juror, but I suggested that they have me down to teach a workshop. Actually, I’d been meaning to contact whoever in NOLA ran workshops, so I could come down and see all my friends there; they just got to me first. They loved the idea, and so did the ASMP Foundation, which gave us grant to help fund the class.
So, I had a fabulous 6-day trip filled with seeing friends, teaching, meeting all the great New Orleans photo folks, checking out the state the city’s in these days, eating good food, seeing local music and theater, visiting Bay St Louis, Mississippi, where the Chautauqua tour was based, biking around the nice flat streets, enjoying the hot weather (and thunderstorms!), visiting my favorite photography gallery, wandering the French Quarter, going to an opening including my photos, and more…
The workshop was just perfect. The New Orleans Photo Alliance is a great organization that is representative of the way community often comes together as a result of tragedy. In a couple of short years, they’ve already started a gallery space, started sponsoring workshops, and instituted Photo NOLA, a month of photography fun including portfolio reviews each December. I’m very excited to be plugged in with them and hope to play more in the future!
The class started with the lecture portion, which was free and open to the public. We had a lovely crowd to see the photos and hear me talk, and a few even signed up to stay on for the rest of the class. In the afternoon we all played with our Holgas, and went out shooting. Sunday we reviewed the results.
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photo by Bryce Lankard, who also organized the workshop - thanks Bryce!
It was a wonderful group, with several veteran photographers, a couple of total novices, and the rest in between, with varying experience levels with film and digital photography - a perfect mix. I hope they continue to meet, look at images, and support and learn from each other (and send me photos!).
The workshop took places at The Big Top, a cool multi-purpose space with a circus bent (although I didn’t get to experience it), which makes me happy.
Before I got to NOLA, I entered and was accepted into an exhibition at the New Orleans Darkroom, called Abstractions in the Landscape. The opening was the Saturday night while I was there (conveniently enough), so after class, we all went over for the party. As usual at fun photo events, I wore my adorable little Rollei MiniDigi camera, which was a great ice-breaker. One person I met was the juror for that show, Sandra Russell Clark, who happens to live in Bay St Louis. So, on my trip to visit there, we met up and had a lovely evening on the beach with a bunch of folks - beautiful!
At The Darkroom opening with Bryce Lankard, my photos, and the Cutest Camera in the Whole World
Rounding out the trip, I checked out Bay St Louis, which got pretty well smashed by Katrina, and is now a mix of a few ruined houses left, empty lots, FEMA trailers, houses under construction, and some houses already complete. These range from small, subtle homes to huge mansions (which used to line the coast), with some interesting ones thrown in, like the round concrete house, my favorite. Everything is up on high stilts (around 10′), which I assume is supposed to keep them from flooding next time, but to me it looks like they’re ripe to be pushed over by the next strong wind. Good luck with the rest of the rebuilding, Mississippi!
Sandra Clark in Bay St Louis, taken with the Rollei MiniDigi
I also met up with Jennifer Shaw, a fantastic Holga photographer based in New Orleans. She has a fantastic series of work based on her experience of evacuating from Katrina and giving birth - it’s a great story!
OK, that’s the report! I’ll try to post more photos from the trip soon.
~Michelle
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04.22.08
Posted in Photography at 5:05 pm by Meesh
I just spent a fabulous weekend in St Louis and St Charles, Missouri. Not a part of the country I know much about, or have any connections in, But I got sucked in by one Mark Fisher. From his first idea of a Holga Polka Invitational, we ended up with “Unrefined Light: Images by Plastic Cameras and their Friends,” at the Foundry Art Centre, with me as juror, and a two-day workshop at the Foundry and a community college darkroom. It was a stellar trip all around.
Me with Mark Fisher. He’s usually a lot smilier than this!
First there was arriving at the space, which is just fabulous. It’s an old train repair building, converted in true style to an arts center, with grand center hall, with stage, galleries lining on both sides, and 20 artist studios above the galleries, perched over the main hall.
Thanks to Mark Fisher for all the photos!
The exhibition is in a huge lovely space, very well hung, and looking fabulous. The opening was Friday night, and I met several of the included photographers during the evening, and had the challenge and pleasure of choosing 5 artists to show more work at the Foundry.
Over the weekend, I taught a workshop to a great group. We had several extra people join in for the talk Saturday morning, when I show a selection of images and a bunch by other toy-heads, and talk about everything plastic - subject, equipment, technique, etc. Then we took a tour through the gallery checking out all the work and discussing the same things, plus thoughts on presentation. It’s a great combination, to run the workshop during relevant exhibitions. In the afternoon, we trolled around the neighborhood shooting with our Holgas. The light was kind of bland, but it was fun in any case.
On Sunday, we met at St Charles Community College, where 3 of my students teach. They have a nice darkroom facility, so we hung out there all day. First we reviewed the photos from Saturday (processed and contact printed by Mark, Kate, Alison and Paul - thanks!). Then everyone got the chance to make a print or two, with the experienced folks helping out the newbies. Finally, I did a brief demo of scanning and fixing up a few images in Photoshop, in the digital lab. By the end, everyone was full up with information, but no one was leaving. I’m sure we could have played for another whole day in there (with a good night’s sleep in between)!
Monday morning I stumbled on a place that is a dream come true for me. City Museum, with its strangely unprepossessing name, is one of the most amazing buildings I’ve ever seen, full of treasures everywhere you look, from the floor tiling (fishes!) to the walls (covered with old printing plates), to the ceiling ( thousands of flags of white, like an anemone bed upside down). And everything in between. I can’t even begin to describe it! And, as a very special treat, I was there with Joyce Rosen, Director of the Foundry, and she ran into a sculptor she knows, who happens to be one of the folks constantly adding more fabulousness to City Museum. He gave us a tour of the museum, but even better, we got a special tour of the Art Lofts they’re building above the museum, full of curvy rooms, glass bottle walls, and endless other wacky details. Then, Paul Bayer, The Man with Keys, took us to the workshop he uses, and some other behind the scenes places. I was absolutely giddy the whole time! I had chosen City Museum over St Louis’ fancy sculpture park, and Joyce and I were both entranced by the whole place.
Back in Seattle now, I’ve survived 3 weeks of the wacky world of the Moisture Festival, which was a blast, as usual.
Couple of cool articles about toy cameras have popped up recently: The Brooklyn Rail and The Independent.
Now getting over that nasty cold and getting ready for more trips!
~Michelle
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03.25.08
Posted in Photography at 11:59 am by Meesh
March 1st started off the month with an interesting and fun photo day. I taught the second half of my photo workshop at the Photographic Center Northwest in Seattle, with a great group of students. Right after that, I buzzed my little van up north to Bellingham, where I was part of a panel of 6 photographers out of the 9 in the Whatcom Museum’s Photo Biennial. There was a large crowd (50 people, perhaps more?), and Scott Wallin led the discussion. It was great to hear the other photogs talk about their work, as we all sat surrounded by it. It’s really a cool show, with 9 full shows in a great space. It’s up until April 27th, so check it out (and I’m teaching a workshop there on April 26th).
The next day, I zipped back to Seattle, and then east to NYC for the opening of the Krappy Kamera show at Soho Photo Gallery. I’ve heard about this one for years, but had never made it there for the show (March isn’t really my favorite time to visit…). But winning first prize was very exciting, so I set up to give a talk, let the friends and family know I was coming, and off I flew. The opening night was jam packed! Toy camera mecca! Lots of cool photographs in all 3 sections; the front for members of the coop, the back for those chosen to be in the competition show, and the upstairs for all the other entries that weren’t selected, hung in an endless collage.
A couple of nights later I gave a talk at the gallery, which was fun as usual, with a nice group of about 25.
Me with my prize-winning Monkey. Look - I got a star!
The Krappy Kamera Competition, 2008 at Soho Photo. click on image for a larger version
This past week I was in Denver for the national Society for Photographic Education conference. I’ve enjoyed this conference the last 3 times I’ve been, but this was definitely the best. The hotel was set up very nicely, and located on a pedestrian street, so we could actually get out and eat and shop and enjoy the town a little. The theme and presentations were great, I had some friends to hang out with, and made some great new connections and contacts. For anyone who’s wondering how to get your work out there in the world, I can’t emphasize enough how great these events are for making things happen!
A new article just came out in The Independent, a London newspaper, about the toy camera craze, and features a new image of mine, taken last summer in Glacier National Park in Montana (during the Chautauqua tour), with more images of mine and by others (click on the goat).
This Friday I take off again for St Charles, MO, for th “Unrefined Light” exhibition, which I juried, at the Foundry Art Center. Right after I land, I’ll get whisked off to the gallery, where I get to choose the winners (with some big prizes!) before the opening. They’re expecting a huge crowd, and I’m really looking forward to it! Teaching a full workshop of serious toy camera enthusiasts all weekend - yipee!
The postcard for the “Unrefined Light” show. Click on the image for a larger version and the backside
More talks and workshops coming up in Seattle, New Orleans, Minneapolis and Maine - check out the rest of the site for details.
~Michelle
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03.06.08
Posted in Photography at 7:57 am by Meesh
Angela Faris-Belt is a new friend, who I met at last year’s Society for Photographic Education conference, and has her first book coming out! The Elements of Photography: Understanding and Creating Sophisticated Images (Focal Press!), is going to have its coming out party at this year’s SPE conference in Denver. The shindig is Friday, March 14th at the The Art Institute of Colorado’s John Jellico Gallery. There’s an exhibition of work from the book up too, and I have one image there.
I haven’t gotten my hands on a copy yet, but I just got the PDFs of my pages - I’ve got a bio, and 4 images! It looks great! Congratulations Angela!!!
The conference itself looks fabulous this year; the theme is “Agents of Change: Art and Advocacy.” The speakers, panels and keynotes look much better than other years I’ve gone; I might just have to get up early and make sure I get to panels all day!
The conference also has all that other great stuff: shmoozing, informal and formal portfolio reviews, a booth area, photo gallery shows all over the city to see, openings, parties, keynote talks, etc. This is how you get your work out in the world, everyone - you gotta show up!
See you there!
Michelle
ps - I’m in New York now for Krappy Kamera heaven at Soho Photo. Giving a talk tonight! Report and photos when I get back to Seattle.
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01.31.08
Posted in Photography at 7:21 pm by Meesh
The most exciting news of the year (young as it is…) is that an image of mine has taken First Place in the Krappy Kamera competition! This show, out of Soho Photo in New York, is the oldest and biggest of the toy camera shows. I’m thrilled to be a part of it, and catching first place is beyond exciting! The opening is Tuesday, March 4th, and I’m planning to come over for it. I’ll also be giving a talk there on Thursday, March 6th, at 7:00 (and selling books). Stop in if you’re in the neighborhood!
A monkey blows me a kiss at Pashupatinath in Nepal, November 2007
I actually got the call for that while I was at the opening of Rayko Photo’s Plastic Camera show in San Francisco - it was so fun to be amongst the toy camera throngs! That show had lots of good work, and an entire separate show by Veronika Lukasova, of panoramic Holga images - great work!
I’ve also arranged to give a talk at Foto-Grafix Books, which is downstairs from SF Camerawork, and around the corner from SF MOMA. That’s on February 7th, at 7:00. There’s also a community event after my talk, where you can show slides and everyone gives feedback. Sounds like fun!
And, I’ve just set up a talk in Seattle at the University Bookstore, a great venue, on April 17th.
Reporting back from earlier in January, the printing session was fun! Once the technical issues got smoothed out, seeing those enormous prints rolling out of the printer was thrilling! I can’t wait for the show; I wonder when it will be?
Me with my 40″ x 40″ of the Temple of Joy, a creation of David Best at Burning Man, 2002.
More soon!
~Michelle
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12.31.07
Posted in Photography at 3:26 pm by Meesh
After all the months of travel, I’ve had a really great time in December cleaning, catching up, socializing, and planning for 2008. If only we had more weeks like this, where everything shuts down…
Here’s a taste of some of the fun coming up for the brand-new year of 2008:
In late February, I’ll be teaching a workshop at the Photographic Center Northwest, here in Seattle (Feb 23 & Mar 1). Please join me for what is always a fun and informative class!
“Unrefined Light: Image-Making with Plastic Cameras and their Friends” is a juried toy camera exhibition happening at the Foundry Arts Center in St Charles, Missouri, this spring. It’s a nationally open call for art, and I’m the juror! The deadline is January 28th, 2008, so get your work together and send it in - I can’t wait to see it! Find the link for the prospectus and application here., or click here to download the PDF.
The opening is March 28th, and I’ll be there for it. Plus, I’ll be teaching a workshop that weekend. Stop by if you’re in the neighborhood.
There are several other toy cameras shows happening year in New York, San Francisco, New Orleans, and online. See here for details.
As it happens, I’ll be in San Francisco for the opening of Rayko Photo’s National Juried Plastic Camera Exhibition, opening Tuesday, January 8th. I’ll be back in SF at the end of the show to teach a workshop at Rayko on Feb 9th and 12th.
I’m hoping to go down to New Orleans to teach a workshop there during their exhibition. More details as I get them.
This week my new adventure in the Bay Area is a digital printing residency with the Creator’s Equity Foundation. The project, 21 Days of Black Rock City, is bringing in 10 or so photographers to their space in Berkeley to make large-format digital prints and mount them, using the newest high-end printer and mounting machine, with all the materials supplied. The prints be shown at an exhibition in the Bay Area, hopefully sometime this year. Very exciting!
On March 1st, the Whatcom Museum in Bellingham, WA, is hosting a panel discussion with the photographers who are part of the “Photography Biennial: 9 Photographers to Watch from the Pacific Northwest” exhibition. Since the opening got snowed out, I believe we’ll be having some sort of party in conjunction with the talk. I’ll also be teaching a workshop there on April 26th.
Later in March, I’ll be heading to Denver for the Society for Photographic Education’s national conference. I’ve been the last few years (Portland, Chicago and Miami), and always have a great time. The theme this year is “Agents of Change: Art and Advocacy,” and the presentations look especially interesting. My friend (and contributing editor of my book), Mary Ann Lynch, is giving a talk, as is Angela Faris-Belt, who is also having her book release party, for “The Elements of Photography,” coming out in Feb by Focal Press. I have some photos in the book, so I’m looking forward to seeing it! Congratulations Angela!
At the end of June, I’ll be teaching a week-long workshop at the Maine Photographic Workshops (now part of the Maine Media Workshops), where I got my start, way back in 1991. The workshop, Toying with Creativity (June 28-July 5, 2008), will be an extended version of the class I’ve been teaching for years, and recently, all over the US. During the week, we’ll have lots of time to play and experiment with the cameras, and also in the darkroom and digital lab. Plus, the class occurs over the 4th of July, so it’ll be a great opportunity to experiment with photographing fireworks and festivities!
I have more talks and workshops in the works for 2008, so keep an eye on the website, or let me know if you’re interested in having me come to a location near you!
Happy New Year!
~Michelle
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12.06.07
Posted in Photography, NW Arts at 10:38 pm by Meesh
It’s been a fun week here in the Northwest! I just got back from 4 weeks in Nepal and Thailand, found myself in some crazy Northwest weather, and managed to make it north, south and back home to my house on the hill.
First, I made it back in town for the last 2 days of “Cheap Shot: Plastic Cameras - The Low Tech of High Art” at the Photographic Center Northwest. I was delighted to see my images on the front panel, visible from the street (of course, I forgot to photograph it from outside). I’ve been a part of the PCNW community for a long time, and am honored to have been featured so prominently in this exhibition. The show included 6 of us toy-heads: me, Rosanna Salonia, Gordon Stettinius, Susan Burnstine, Jennifer Shaw, Shannon Welles. I’ve met all of them somewhere around the country except Jennifer - it’s a small toy camera world!
Last Friday, I drove down to Portland for a thrilling experience - giving a talk at Powell’s Books! Powell’s is an incredible independent bookstore; there are few like it left anywhere, and it’s a lofty achievement to get into their speaking schedule (I was turned down before the book came out, but once they got to know it, and see how well it sells, I got in!). I had no idea how many people would come, except the friends I was expecting, but, people just kept pouring in, until the crowd topped 40 people (that with two of my friends managing to miss most of it)! Not sure how everyone found out about it (shoulda asked for a show of hands), but the Portland Mercury did a funny little blurb on it that drew a bunch of folks in. Everyone stayed until the end, and they asked lots of questions. I signed books and got to sign their author’s book, in some very good company!
Many thanks to Aubrey Pullman for taking photos!
The following day, I was supposed to drive right through Seattle on up to Bellingham, but, strangely for this part of the world, it was snowing! The opening was canceled, so instead I went up on Sunday to give my talk to the Bellingham folks. This talk was less formal, but still lots of fun, with 15 people braving the weather. Hopefully we can do it again during the show when more people will know about it and can make it.
Afterwards, we trekked over to the Whatcom Museum, where my work is part of the “Photography Biennial: 9 to Watch from the Pacific Northwest.” This museum to be one of the great artsy secrets of the Northwest. It’s in a spectacular building, even stranger for being in such an out-of-the-way place. My show is actually across the street, in a great space that actually managed to present 9 complete exhibitions (mine has 26 photographs) in a space that still feels intimate. And in the main building is a world-class exhibition by Lewis Hine, showing his images of child labor in the early 1900s. It’s an incredible exhibition.
The Photo Biennial is up through April 27, 2008, so plenty of time to check it out. I’ll post if the reception gets rescheduled.
I’m happy to be back in Seattle, and looking forward to all the fun coming up!
Michelle
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