THE ATOMIUM&

ARIK LEVY

CONTENT

The ATomiumThe Atomium commissionimportant figuresWhat is the Atomiumits shapeexpo 1958

Arik LevyAbout the artistThe rockGrowth seriesThe Craters seriesexhibitions & installationsSelected solo & group exhibitions

The letter of invitation

The ProPoSALThe permanent installationThe exhibitionThe rockGrowth 808 Atomium commission 2014rockGrowthDescription of the sculptureThe know how

CoNTACTS

PreSS revieW Arik Levy

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THE ATOMIUM

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The Atomium is an iconic building in Brussels originally built for expo ‘58, the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair. De-signed by the engineer André Waterkeyn with interiors by architects André and Jean Polak, it stands 102 m (335 ft) tall. its nine 18 m (59 ft) diameter stainless steel clad spheres are connected so that the whole forms the shape of a unit cell of an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times.

Tubes connect the spheres along the 12 edges of the cube and all eight vertices to the center. They enclose escalators and a lift to allow access to the five habitable spheres, which contain exhibit halls and other public spaces. The top sphere provides a panoramic view of Brussels. CNN named it europe’s most bizarre building.

THE ATOMIUM COMMISSION

view of an Atomium sphere

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The BuiLDiNG

The Atomium represents the molecule of crystal, mag-nified 165 billion times, in the form of a centred cube standing on one of its corners. The complete Atomium is made up of 9 spheres (1 at each vertex plus 1 central sphere), connected together by 20 tubes (12 edges and 2 tubes for each of the 4 diagonals. The whole structure stands on 3 pillars, known as “bipods”).

IMPORTANT FIGURES

102m

18m

3m30

108m2 / 240m2

29m

26m

Total height

Diameter of spheres

Diameter of tubes

Surface area of spheres

Length of tubes at edges

Diameter of pavilion at base

iNTerNeT

· 873.000 references on the internet

· 221.000 sites with direct links to the Atomium site

· 48.000 shared photographs on Flickr

· 60.000 shared photographs on Picasa

· more than 29.000 fans on Facebook

· more than 30.000 check-ins with Foursquare

· 2.300 individual visitors every day to the Atomium site

every DAy STATiSTiCS

· 600.000 paid entree visitors per year

· 1.200.000 passing-by visitors per year

· record number of visitors in one day: 4,700 on 17.08.2008

· one of 5 european institutions providing visitors with audio-guides in 13 languages

· 100 private events per year, with 11,000 participants

· Approximately 10 visits by heads of State each year, both private and official

· The Atomium is also used in dozens of photoshoots for fashion, design and architecture magazines

· A number of national and international radio and Tv broadcasts are recorded each year, either at the foot of the Atomium or inside

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WHAT IS THE ATOMIUM

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FOR HIRE

Waterkeyn Room

PART 1: THE PANORAMALEVELS 0 & 7 - VIA LIFT

PART 2: EXHIBITIONSLEVELS 1-6: STAIRS & ESCALATORS

FOR HIRE

Prigogine Room

VISIT

LEVEL 8

Restaurant

TERRACE

Sandwiches & drinks

EXIT

Via the shop

TICKET OFFICE

Audio guides &Toilets

CHILDREN'SSPHERE

Accessible only to

primary schools (booking required or

during shcheduled

activities)

ENTRANCE

TOILETS

PART 1: THE PANORAMA(LEVELS 0 & 7: via the lift )

PART 2: EXHIBITIONS(LEVELS 1-6: via the stairs)

PART 2: EXHIBITIONS(LEVELS 1-6: via the escalators)

TICKETS / ENTRANCE / SHOP / TERRACE

OFF THE TOUR

0 MAIN HALL (LIFT / ESCALATORS / SHOP)

1 PERMANENT EXHIBITION

2 PERMANENT EXHIBITION

3 TEMPORARY EXHIBITION

4 TEMPORARY EXHIBITION

5 TEMPORARY EXHIBITION

6 VIEWPOINT

7 360° PANORAMA & TOILETS

8 RESTAURANT

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Why hAS The ATomium ThAT ShAPe?

it all began in 1958, when Brussels was preparing to host the universal exhibition which became known as expo 58. A universal exhibition is a great global gathering, taking place every four years, where countries build Pavilions to present their culture and expertise. each Pavilion is, in a way, a showcase for the country. each universal exhibition has a theme and a symbolic building. in 1958, science was given pride of place: at that time, everyone was convinced that thanks to sci-entific progress we would soon travel in capsules rather than cars, everyone would have robots to do the housework, no one would ever be ill, and living in space would be possible. in 1958, unlike today, the whole world was convinced that sci-ence would solve all our problems and improve our lives. The challenge for expo 58 was to find a means of celebrating the atom and its applica-tions by inventing an exceptional Pavilion.

ITS SHAPE

ELEMENTARY IRON CRYSTAL ATOMIUM

A basic unit of iron (which naturally structures itself in a cubic network) made up of 9 atoms.

Atoms of iron: The Atomium has 9 sppheres

This was when engineer-architect André Waterkeyn observed that, in nature, atoms of iron organise themselves in a regular cubic structure which could easily be reproduced in the form of a building. he then made an elementary unit of iron (9 atoms), magnified 165 billion times, to give the Atomium its shape of a cube standing on one corner, with nine atoms (one at each corner) connected together by 20 tubes, the whole structure standing on 3 giant pillars. Thus the Atomium was born with its unique shape. Although the Atomium was not intended to outlive the universal exhibition of 1958, its popula-rity and success quickly made it a major feature of the landscape, both in Brussels and further afield.

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A PoST-WAr eveNT

on 17 April 1958, on the heysel site, the Brussels universal and international exhibition was inau-gurated. This huge event was intended to be a showcase for Belgium and nearly 40 other coun-tries, out of 70 being part of the uN.

With the slogan building a world for the modern man, the event sent out a message of bound-less optimism and attempted to reflect a society that was confident in its future and enthusiastic

EXPO 1958

about the future of humanity. A real promotional campaign for a nation, a lifestyle and an era, expo 50 undeniably left its mark in people’s memories and became a major event in the Belgian national history. With its style and its appearance, the Ato-mium, one of the only remaining iconic traces of this event, plunges you into the heart of the presti-gious, unforgetta

The LuCieN De roeCk STAr

if expo 58 left its mark in our hearts and minds, so did its logo the Lucien de roeck star, named after its designer. The star-shaped logo has become one of the legends of graphical design.

As a professional designer, Lucien De roeck looked for a single graphical element, simple and clear, to bring together components to sug-gest the exhibition, taking account of its univer-sal nature and the city in which it took place. he considered several possibilities, including that of a tree with no leaves, the branches supporting the symbols which characterised the exhibition. The winner, however, was the Star, which he cleverly distorted to represent the dynamic nature of the exhibition. he also added the concept of universal-ity in the form of a globe, and anchored the whole design in the time dimension, in a manner which was both symbolic and paradoxical, by using the number 58, which marked the whole exhibition.

STATiSTiCS CoNCerNiNG exPo 58

· 60,000,000 hours of work to create the site

· 41,454,412 visitors

· 4,500,000 entries to Joyful Belgium

· 3,000,000 visitors travelled in the cable car

· 713,664 was the record number of visitors in one day

· 20,000 meals each day in the 70 restaurants on the site

· 20,000 workers

· 2,000 journalists covered the event

· 500 gardeners looked after the green spaces on the site

· 220 motorised tricycles

· 8 babies born

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ARIK LEVYPh

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“Creation is an uncontrolled muscle” Arik Levy (born 1963).

Artist, technician, photographer, designer, video artist, Levy’s skills are multi-disciplinary and his work can be seen in prestigious galleries and museums worldwide. Best known publicly for his sculptures – such as his signature rock pieces -, his installations, limited editions and design, Levy nevertheless feels “The world is about people, not objects.”

hailing originally from israel and moving to europe after his first participation in a group sculpture exhibition in Tel-Aviv in 1986, Levy currently works in his studio in Paris.

his formation was unconventional where surfing, as well as his art and graphic design studio, took up much of his time back home. Following stud-ies at the Art Center europe in Switzerland, he gained his BS in industrial Design with distinction in 1991.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

After a stint in Japan where he consolidated his ideas producing products and pieces for exhibitions, Levy returned to europe where he contributed his artistry to another field – contemporary dance and opera by way of set design.

The creation of his firm then meant a foray back to his first love, art and industrial de-sign, as well as other branches of his talents. respected for his furniture and light designs on all continents, Levy also creates hi-tech clothing lines and accessories for firms in the Far east.

Considering himself now more of a «feeling» artist, Arik Levy continues to contribute sub-stantially to our interior and exterior milieu, his work including public sculpture, as well as complete environments that can be adapted for multi use. “Life is a system of signs and symbols,” he says, “where nothing is quite as it seems.”

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rockGrowth 140 / 2011 / mirror-polished stainless steel / L140 x W114 x h83 cm / private collection, israel

rockGrowth 172 / 2011 / mirror-polished stainless steel / L206 x W161 x h172 cm / private collection, israel

THE ROCKGROWTH SERIESPh

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rockGrowthGiant 514 / 2011 mirror-polished stainless steel L510 x W401 x h514 cm private collection, France

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CraterCorten 300 / 2012 / Corten steel L320 x W178 x h300 cm / private collection, israel

THE CRATERS SERIESPh

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humanCanyon, installation / milan 2013 Chaton Superstructures, installation / London 2011

Nothing is quite as it seems, solo exhibition / Paris 2012 rockGiant 600 / private collection, France 2009

EXHIBITIONS & INSTALLATIONS

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2014

Atomium, Brussels / RockGrowth 808 Atomium, permanent public installation and exhibition

2013

musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris / AbstractRock, series and other artworks alongside the exhibition “Dans la ligne de mire”

vitra museum, Weil am rhein / RewindableLight, art video / Lightopia, group exhibition

Galerist, istanbul / Activated Nature, solo exhibition

enclos des Bernardins, Paris / RockGrowth 400, installation

Galerie maubert, Paris / Nouvelle Lune, group exhibition

mitterrand+Cramer, Geneva / New Sculptures, solo exhibition

Art Garden of Superstudio Piu, Zona Tortona, italy / Bathing in the light, HumanCanyon, installation

2012

Passage de retz, Paris / Nothing is quite as it seems, solo exhibition (up to 2013)

Bisazza Foundation, montecchio maggiore, italy / Experimental Growth, solo exhibition (up to 2013)

Galerist gallery, istanbul / Le Jardin de la Spéculation Cosmique, group exhibition curated by Fatos Üstek

Swarovski Crystal Worlds, Wattens, Austria / Transparent Opacity, solo exhibition (up to 2017)

Alon Segev Gallery, Tel Aviv / Genetic Intimacy, solo exhibition

Jardin du hauvel, Saint-hymer, France / Art et Nature, group exhibition curated by Jean-Gabriel mitterrand

hedge Gallery, San Francisco / Flections, group exhibition curated by Sabrina Buell

Priveekollektie, heusden aan de maas / EmotionalDeflection, solo exhibition

Galerie maubert, Paris / Le Sacre du Printemps, group exhibition

Alon Segev Gallery, Tel Aviv / Arik Levy & Guy Yanai

2011

Natural history museum, London / Regeneration: Chaton Superstructures, installation

JGm. Galerie, Paris / M+C, group exhibition

Galerie Pierre-Alain Challier, Paris / Un regard d’obsidienne, group exhibition

Design museum holon, israel / Post Fossil: excavating 21st century creation, group exhibition

21_21 Design Sight, Tokyo / Reality Lab, group exhibition

2010

Alon Segev Gallery, Tel Aviv / Natural Disorder, solo exhibition

mitterrand+Cramer, Geneva / Geotectonic, solo exhibition

Priveekollektie, heusden aan de maas / My Name Is Arik, solo exhibition

istanbul modern, istanbul / Log Forest installation in Dice kayek’s istanbul Contrast exhibition

No holds Barred, Art Amsterdam / Personality Disorder Social Codes, installation

eighth veil Gallery, Los Angeles / Out there logging, solo exhibition

Santa monica museum of Art, Santa monica / Luminescence: between Fire & Ice, solo exhibition

Lambretto Art Project, milano / 13 798 grams, group exhibition

2009

Slott gallery, Paris / Confessions, solo installation in Préliminaires exhibition

kenny Schachter/rove, London / Fruit & Flowers, group exhibition

Liechtenstein museum / Chaton Superstructures, installation

Sotheby’s, vienna / TableScapeSpace

Swarovski Crystal Palace, ex magazzini di Porta Genova, milano / Osmosis, solo exhibition

Galleria Nina Lumer, milano / Love, group exhibition by Slott gallery

2008

Design miami, miami / Beyond Organic: In the State of Nature, group exhibition

kenny Schachter/rove, London / Diversion, group exhibition

Chatsworth, uk / Beyond Limits, group exhibition in partnership with Sotheby’s

Sudeley Castle, uk / The Artist’s Playground, group exhibition in partnership with Phillips de Pury

SELECTED SOLO & GROUP EXHIBITIONS

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Wright20, Chicago / Absent Nature, solo exhibition

Barbara Davis Gallery, houston / Imperative, group exhibition

Galerie Alain Gutharc, Paris / Propositions lumineuses 2, group exhibition

2007

Dialogues méditerranéens, St. Tropez / BigRock, installation

Centre des arts enghien-les-Bains / L’Autre, solo exhibition

2006

Passage de retz, Paris / BigRock, permanent installation

2005

Passage de retz / mouvements modernes, Paris / Du Bois Dont On Se Chauffe, group exhibition

Galerie Alain Gutharc, Paris / Propositions lumineuses, group exhibition

Centre Pompidou, Paris / D.Day – From Primitive to Virtual, installation

Garanti Gallery, istanbul / Feel before you see, solo exhibition

2004

Park ryusook Gallery, Seoul / Love counts, solo exhibition

victoria & Albert museum, London / Brilliant, group exhibition

2002 and before

hertzliya museum, israel / videoZone – 1st Biennale for video Art / Two stars hotel – in collaboration with Sigalit Landau, 2002

Gallery Pascale Cottard-ollsson, Stockholm / solo exhibition, 2000

isart Contemporary Art Gallery, munich / Virtual/Religious, group exhibition

Passage de retz, Paris / Light-Light, solo exhibition, 1998

4th Sculpture Biennale, ein hod, israel / Humanism 2020, group exhibition, 1997

Sculpture Park Jaffa, israel / group exhibition, 1986

THE ROCKGROWTH 808 ATOMIUM PROjECT

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THE LETTER OFINVITATION

! see last page for full size letter

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THE PROPOSAL

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THE PERMANENT INSTALLATION

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THE EXHIBITION

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THE ROCKGROWTH 808 ATOMIUM COMMISSION 2014

When i met with Atomium Director henri Simons and Arnaud Bozzini, exhibitions Curator (to whom i was intro-duced by Lise Coirier), they informed me that they had chosen me as the first artist to have a sculpture exhibition with the eventual acquisition of a monumental sculpture to be permanently installed on the Atomium site.This was a great moment for me and it gave me a feeling of utter recognition and great honor. my work turns around technology, science, social codes and emotional ergonomics, as well as reinvented nature and alternations of natural processes, relationships and feelings. All of these aspects have for me a direct relation-ship to the atomism, with its sculptural appearances and its idea.

After our meeting, during which we discussed possible directions and went out to see the location, i had a clear idea of what i wanted to do as the designated location was right under the Atomium edifice and on its grounds. upon my return to Paris i started working on a very large-scale sculpture from the rockGrowth family. very quickly i realized that what would be best in this location was a colored piece that would get reflected in the Atomium spheres again and again. Part of the Atomium visual identity incorporates a red color that i selected for my sculpture.

The Atomium building is similar to a “cage structure” (expression used in research for dodecahedral and other mineral atom structures). The sculpture i have created is the exact opposite of this kind of structure: it has a center from where all arms and facets are growing in their rela-tive angles and extending into space.

The piece will be made in stainless steel and a major part of it will be painted in red. All the ends of the growth arms will be mirror polished so that images of the sur-roundings will reflect within: people, light, sunset, trees, clouds etc. This reflection will appear as if coming from the inside of the sculpture and will give the idea of being able to look into its DNA structure -our social structure-, as if using an atomic microscope. The reflections that represent our life, society as well as the environment will become the initiator of any reason of being. The rock-Growth represents development and changes, innovation and emotional growth at the same time….the reflections will be forever dynamic and animate the piece endlessly.

Arik Levy

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ROCKGROWTH

rockGrowth represents the evolution of the Absent Nature, (ongoing project) : the impossible assumption - from a biological point of view - of planting a “rock” (mineral) as a vegetal seed and observe, as a witness, its germinating process and growth, taking part in the ge-netic intimacy of its evolving nature and natural process, and have it interact with my own thinking. i feel the need to create my own world of possibilities and projections, assumptions and axioms.

When the rock is planted or put in the ground the min-eral transforms by bio-mimicry, adopts a vegetal DNA and germinates. it grows, erects and develops both over and under ground. each and every one of its facets grows

and develops at its own speed, direction and dimension, giving birth to a faceted tree trunk that later, when cut, becomes a faceted Log. Simultaneously, both bulbs and roots produce branching points of growth where the de-veloping facets will extend.

each one of these outgrowths becomes a rockGrowth: if you dismember and section the growing parts, by sepa-rating roots, bulbs and branches from the main core, the isolated element reveals its mineral nature and goes back to resembling a unique atom or out of space formation. its reflection and geometry create a complex and dy-namic image, like a still from a movie of an ever-growing fast-forward reality.

Arik Levy

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DESCRIPTION OF THE SCULPTURE

NAme: RockGrowth 808 Atomium

DimeNSioNS:

L 1 200 x W 1 100 x h 808 cmmATeriALS:

all structure in stainless steel,powder coated color reD, mirror-polished ends, 35 mm

WeiGhT:

17 tons

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1 100 cm

880 cm

1 200 cm1 100 cm

808 cm

right view front view left view

top view

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CoNSTruCTioNin a constant pursuit for perfection, Arik selects meticulously the best materials and carefully chooses the most skilled craftsmen to help him bring his creations to life.

With years of experience, he has developed an expertise in the construction and installation of monumental sculptures. Assisted by a team of engineers and experts, all the constraints of such large-scale pieces are taken into consideration. Their imposing size, their massive weight and their complexities are studied, as well as the environ-ment were they are installed, in order to ensure the durability and constant beauty of the sculp-tures in time and under all circumstances.

TrANSPorTCarrying large and heavy sculptures on the roads and seas of the world in order to install them in the most beautiful locations but sometimes with very difficult access, has become another compe-tence of Arik Levy’s studio.

Finding logistics solutions worldwide and ensur-ing the security of the sculptures all the way is a knowledge learned by years of shipping sculp-tures throughout the globe with all the technical and administrative complications it may involve. using the proper material and specialized man-power, we manage to overcome any obstacles the journey may put in our way in order to deliver the artwork to their final destination.

iNSTALLATioNmay it be at an altitude of 3000 meters in the snowy Swiss Alps during winter, or in a slope with a 40-tones crane, or in the middle of a forest or a city, Arik Levy’s sculptures have been planted in the most improbable gardens and courtyards of the world.

The preliminary study of the soil, of the wind, of the temperature and of any other factors enables the installation of the artwork in any environment possible. By methodically foreseeing all technical requirements, we ensure the perfect unfolding of operations no matter the circumstances of the installation site. With our expertise built from ex-perience, we guarantee our pledge to quality.

THE KNOW HOWPh

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CONTACTS

ARIK LEVY ART STUDIO ADDreSS

29 rue des Panoyaux 75020 Paris France

TeLePhoNe

+33 1 44 78 61 61

FAx

+33 1 44 78 00 46

project coordination : Diane Carpenter

emAiL diane@ariklevy.fr

WeBSiTe

www.ariklevy.fr

ATOMIUM ADDreSS

Square de l’AtomiumB-1020 Bruxelles Belgium

TeLePhoNe

+32 2 475 47 75

FAx

+32 2 475 47 79

exhibitions curator : Arnaud Bozzini

emAiL info@atomium.be

WeBSiTe

www.atomium.be

INTERNATIONAL PRESS APr ALexANDrA PuBLiC reLATioNSPauline Brillouet

emAiL pauline@alexandrapr.com

TeLePhoNe

+33 1 47 58 08 03

BELUX PRESS LTh LimitedBarbara Schoen de Bruin

emAiL barbara.lth.limited@gmail.com

TeLePhoNe

+32 497 705 220

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PRESS REVIEWL’oFFiCeL De L’ArT / December 2012-January 2013 / France

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L’oFFiCeL De L’ArT / December 2012-January 2013 / France

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L’oFFiCeL De L’ArT / December 2012-January 2013 / France

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iDeAT / march 2013 / France

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iDeAT / march 2013 / France GQ / may 2013 / korea

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BeAux ArTS mAGAZiNe / April 2012 / France

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BeAux ArTS mAGAZiNe / April 2012 / France

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WhiTehALL / June 2013 / uSA

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WhiTehALL / June 2013 / uSA

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PALACe / April-June 2013 / Singapore

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LuxuriA / June 2013 / indonesia

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LuxuriA / June 2013 / indonesia

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Dom Luxury iNTerior DeSiGN / January 2013 / russia

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hÄuSer / April-may 2013 / Germany

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hÄuSer / April-may 2013 / Germany

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DiSeÑo iNTerior / January 2013 / Spain

thank you

www.ariklevy.fr

www.atomium.be