measure of curiosity .
- Amie Hanqing Yao -
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measure of curiosity .
Amie Hanqing Yao
hanqingy@upenn.edu 510-480-8857
Stuart Weitzman School of Design University of Pennsylvania
Selected Works
Suspended Environment Flipit
2018-2021 o4 18
Exposures awash
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The Tree House
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Other Works
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SUSPENDED ENVIRONMENTS FOOD & SCIENCE CENTER on 101 norfolk street, new york city
partner: merrick castillo critic: nate hume Nominated in PressingMatter Featured on SuckerPUNCHDaily
“Suspended Environments explores the role of nature in the city; questioning precedents such as The HighLine and Ford Foundation on their treatment towards landscape as a single layer. Our project creates suspended volumetric nature visitors can inhabit. Landscapes and liners create parks that push their way through the building forming gardens for the public and poche for growing and freezing food. As the landscape pushes its way through the facade, a billboard emerges towards Delancy. The park embeds itself into the building using walls as liners encased by soil which allows people to see moments of natural and mechanical environments as they are pulled into new hyper-conditions. �
figures: view from office to laboratory(right)
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Elevation on Norfolk Street & Conceptual Diagram
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SUSPENDED ENVIRONMENT FOOD & SCIENCE CENTER
Suspended Environments explores the role of nature in the city; questioning
precedents such as The High-Line and Ford Foundation on their treatment towards landscape as a single layer. Our project creates suspended volumetric nature visitors can inhabit. Landscapes and liners create parks that push their way through the building forming gardens for the public and poche for growing and freezing food. As the landscape pushes its way the building using walls as liners encased by soil which allows people to see moments of natural and mechanical environments as they are pulled into new hyper-conditions.
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Sectional Axonometric & Cutout Details 01. Embeded Landscape 02. Freeze Dryers 03. Outdoor Garden 04. Facade Closeup
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SUSPENDED ENVIRONMENT FOOD & SCIENCE CENTER
As the landscape moves through the building it allows for programmatic space to emerge, the program is freeze dried food, where the food is grown within the landscape and frozen throughout. Freeze dryers are large in nature and the mass of these machines manipulates the poche pushing their way into the landscape, creating their own mechanical environments.The frozen reality of the machine contrasts the light airy environment of the park and as they mix they produce new natures. The plant life within the park overgrows, yet in moments creates profiles along the materials. Mimicking geometry from the machines, creating a new form of landscape.
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SUSPENDED ENVIRONMENT FOOD & SCIENCE CENTER
Longitudinal Section (Left) People Interacting with Suspending Environments (Above)
As people move down Delancey Street the elevation reveals a large billboard where there is a slippage of synthetic material layers and different depths of the landscape can be seen. This elevation takes on the graphic nature of the billboard, using vegetation and material layers to create figures displayed to the city.People are in constant contact with the landscape. As they approach the building they see blurred figures of nature, as the landscape cantilevers over the airspace of the neighboring building. Once they enter the lobby, glimpses of landscape are suspended above them. As they move towards the park they are pushed into a tray where trees are growing around them and they are placed in a completely new world.
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SUSPENDED ENVIRONMENT FOOD & SCIENCE CENTER
Transverse Section (Left) Lobby View with Plants Suspended (Above)
These spaces are made from a build-up of materials that move over each other, and are covered with soil and plants.This soil pushes its way over different materials, from ceramic tiles, to Terra-cotta shingles to concrete panels and allows for overgrowth to take place.This soil wraps around edges, creating the effect of continuous earth and plantlife, rather than a singular green wall.These layers are exaggerated at the building scale, where the ground floor functions as the lobby, the middle of the building for the park and freezing food and the top for the private offices, these figures stack on each other and allow for slippages across them.
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Annotation in the Plan
01. Embeded Tray 02. Soil Wall 03. Cooling System 04. Freeze Dryers 05. 06. Cafe 07. Library 08. Main Stairway
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SUSPENDED ENVIRONMENT FOOD & SCIENCE CENTER
View From Laboratory to Office (Left) Plan of Lower Floors (Above)
On the park level and through the building there is a collapse of space as windows look on to each other and reveal different parts of the program, the landscape shrouds these views and creates different conditions depending on your location. As the public visits the park, they have views into the program, this allows them to understand the full process of the food from the garden to the freeze dryers. Private offices look onto labs, yet don’t see corridors connecting them, instead they see parks and overgrowth. The park pushes itself over the existing site, by extending into the neighboring areas, allowing the landscape to merge back into the city. Suspended Environments, rethinks the relationship between the natural and man-made, creating a new typology for the city profile and how environments are interacted with in the city.
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Partial Elevation on Delancey Street & Close-up to the shifting Facade 05. Terra Cotta Shingles 06.Tile Overgrowth 07.Embeded Trees 08. Plaster Coated Shingles
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SUSPENDED ENVIRONMENT FOOD & SCIENCE CENTER
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FLIPIT COVID-19 TEST CENTER
anywhere people need it, anywhere it can bring hope
individual work summer competition Receive the 1st Place, Featured on Surface Magazine, PennToday and etc.
“The adaption of the prototype of the playground brings a pleasant and playful atmosphere while still keeps the use of medical testing efficient and professional. In terms of Versatility, while flipping the specific element around to bring them new meanings, the combination of the elements as a whole unit is flipped into 3 forms within 3 different usage, which are walk-in test units,drive-through test units, and post-pademic playhouse. �
figures: Elevations of Flipit (above) Section cut showing interior space and arrangement(right)
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FLIPIT COVID-19 TEST CENTER
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FLIPIT COVID-19 TEST CENTER
Seesaw
Flip01.
Flip02.
Merry-Go-Round
Slides
Flip01.
Flip02
Flip03
Trapeze Rings
Flip01.
Flip02.
Flip03.
Flip01.
Flip02.
Flipit uses the playful and welcoming pieces of equipment in kid’s playgrounds as
the prototypes of the design. Everyone loves a good playground for its vivid color palette, cute shapes, and the smooth and non-hazardous experience. The relaxing atmosphere of the playground testing center can really release the tension and embarassment people tend to hold when they try to get the test. The pleasant visual experience encourage people to see the pandamic in the other way. Color and shape of the playground are combined together to make the unit. Inspired by the cube puzzle, each side of the unit is one color. The special color arrangement will bring ease to the assembling process and a unique visual experience.
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FLIP 01. Walk In Testing 1B. Vertical Ventilation Roof 2B. Mask or Keys Hanger 3B. Blinder 4B. Exchange Tunnel a. Bathroom or Changingroom b. Window for Testing c. Drewer for Testing Tubes d. Table e. Lightwell
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FLIPIT COVID-19 TEST CENTER
Exponential Axonomic (Left) Walk-in Test Unit (Above)
The first piece of the prototypes is a Slide: it is the most common piece in the playground due to the most fun it brings. The triangular shape of the slides allows kids to slide without barrier, which means its ability to allow the fluid of air to flow rapidly and smoothly. Thus, the shape of the slide is a great response to the high demand for ventilation in a test unit, when the slide is flipped and installed as the Roof (1B) or Passway (1C) By placing the vent at the tip of the slides, Vertical Ventilation, which is similar to an airplane ventilation system allowing dense airflow in a relatively closed and small space, is created. High ventilation can assure the air being refreshed all the time and driving the germs away.
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1C. Covered Patio for Doctors 2C. Clothes Hanger a. Operable Windows b. Lightwell c. Drewer for Testing Tubes d. Chair e.Door
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FLIP 02. Drive Thru Testing
2C
FLIPIT COVID-19 TEST CENTER
Exponential Axonomic (Left) Drive-Through Test Unit (Above)
The second piece of the prototypes is Trapeze Rings: good equipment to lift both your body and stuff. It is always funny to see people dry their stuff sometimes in those abandoned public infrastructures, so in this project, the hanging practice of Trapeze is fully applied. Being flipped around, the height of the rings constantly change to different levels that are either safe for a lifting ring for children(1A), just right for hanging masks (1B), or good for hanging protecting clothes for the doctors (1C). The third piece of the prototypes is a Seesaw. Rather than taking its literal usage, the design projects the idea of the lever to a pie shape. In the Test center, the “seesaw” is used as a Cover of the louvers (3B), by rotating the “seesaw”, the user can decide to let the outside air get in or keep the space ventilated merely by the vent.
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1A. Slide 2A. Trapeze rings 3A. Merry go round 4A. Climbing Tunnel a. Railing b. Entrance c.Ladder d. Window e. Wheels
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FLIP 03. Later Playhouse 26
FLIPIT COVID-19 TEST CENTER
Exponential Axonomic (Left) Post-Pandemic Solution(Above)
In the case of the playhouse, kids can rotate the “seesaw” Wheel (3A) on the ground and have a new type of game that one can be “automatically” spinning with the help with the other. The fourth piece of the prototypes is Mery-Go-Round. Merry-go-round will just keep spinning and spinning until you get exhausted yet you are still excited for another round. The Tunnel for the Exchange between the doctor and patient is inspired by the respect of such excitement. The rotating wheel is the door of the tunnel, it is designed in a cute way in terms of operation and appearance, which would make the patient less nervous. When flipped, the Merry-go-round becomes a Safe Tunnel for kids to climb on, but they will need cooperation to finish the process because the door is only openable when you are outside of the climbing tunnel.
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FLIPIT: Overall Layout (if applicable
FLIP01
FLIP02
FLIP02
FLIP01
FLIP01
FLIP01
We would imagine that the pandemic will come to an end in a day, so the future use of such testing units is crucial. The third form of the unit is a post-pandemic solution to the units. The Playhouse is easy to assemble, fun for kids to play with, and the interesting part of this transformation is that the unit actually turns back to its prototype, like nothing ever happened. But still, it stays there reminding people of the history and the importance of medical care. On the other hand, if we have to live with the COVID, and the testing units need to stay longer, then we might want the units to be pleasant and calming,with a bit payful yet reamins professional, and that is the comfort that FLIPIT units are trying to bring to people.
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EXPOSURES
AWASH
INFRASTRUCTURE & RESEARCH CENTER on 136°19’53.0”N 117°58’29.2”W, owens lake
partner: merrick castillo critic: jason payne Nominated in PressingMatter
“...... Multitudes of realities are blurred as scale shifts between the micro scale of a sprinkler line and the extensive perimeter of the polygon. The shift between resolution and view blurs the relationship between infrastructure and landscape, flickering the focus between geography and the synthetic. The hyper reality of the landscape is able to reshape owens lake through a shoegaze lens, creating a flickering between natural and unnatural. Where landscape, infrastructure and machines become new non-static species within the ecology of Owens lake. ”
figures: ariel view showing building reshaping landscape(right)
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EXPOSURES AWASH INFRASTRUCTURE & RESEARCH CENTER
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EXPOSURES AWASH INFRASTRUCTURE & RESEARCH CENTER
Geography of Site - (Left) Satellite Aerial Image (Above)
Exposures Awash explores concepts from Gerhard Richter Landscape paintings,
Where he reimagines landscapes using blurring, which creates a flickering between the subject and the medium.This flickering reshapes the environments into hyper realities, where saturation, exposure, and resolution create a new understanding of landscape. Using Vaughn olivers shoegaze album covers as a visual lens, we transform existing Owens lake satellite images into new unfamiliar realities. By superimposing logics from Gehard Richter and Vaughan oliver onto owens lake, we established a form of double exposure or flickering between landscape and eco infrastructure creating new synthetic ecologies.
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EXPOSURES AWASH INFRASTRUCTURE & RESEARCH CENTER
Flow Map of Geography of Site (Left) Satellite Aerial Image (Above)
As we move closer to the site, we began to explore the relationship between satellite images, edited images and analytical maps. We studied specific BACM strategies, Focusing on Tillage, shallow flooding and brine. The first analytic map describes the three different perimeters on the site which are unmanipulated nature, controlled brine pools, and invasive brine fields. The second map analyzes the important datum going through our site which is the main brine pipeline. Then, The project redefines non-static site features with euclidean geometry, as a way of introducing new logics into the site.
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Scenes in Shoegaze Aairl 01. Shallow Flood 02. Sprinkler Systems 03. Sensor
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EXPOSURES AWASH INFRASTRUCTURE & RESEARCH CENTER
Shoegaze Aairl of Sprinkler System (Left) & Tillage and Vegetation (Above)
Within the final map we explore the grid of tillage across T3+SE, The grid diverges through delamination which describes the inconsistent nature of tillage and ties back to the bar describing the perimeter edge condition. From the previous flow diagrams, we began to speculate on site possibilities, we initially re-explored perimeters as brine pools, these brine pools shift between hard and undefined edges. These studies helped us define a possible footprint on the site.
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Scene of Footprints 01. Viewers in Between 02. Touching of Nature and Footprints 03. Footprint Wrapping Flow 04. Infrastructure Provides Nature
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EXPOSURES AWASH INFRASTRUCTURE & RESEARCH CENTER
Close Elevation (Left) Scene of Footprints (Above)
Our proposal, explores an overlaying of ideas and logics from the previous flow diagrams including delimanition across the tillage grid, defined natures, and perimeter networks, these form a new typology on owens lake. The satellite images view reveals this typology as a super long perimeter eco-infrastructure, which can only be experienced in the marco scale of a satellite image. The satellite image is first presented in black and white as a way examining geography, tectonics and fluid natures. The relationship between footprint and landscape is explored when the site is zoned into smaller vignettes, these small moments reveal how footprint and landscape become new elements of the owens lake ecology.
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EXPOSURES AWASH INFRASTRUCTURE & RESEARCH CENTER
Edge Condition (Left) Programmatic Plan (Above)
Analytical Minard maps play an important role in representing non- static flows, the minard maps diagram how the flow of brine merges with footprints and the adjacent polygons. These minard map bridges the geographical understanding towards the hyper real experience that would exist in owens lake. The scaling down of the color space of the greater owens exaggerates and concentrates the existing unique natures into a single polygon The next images flicker between close up and distant views, describing our new form of hyper reality. The program of these footprints is a Bacm research center, where the landscape is rezoned into smaller polygons for environmental experiments, focusing on tillage and flooding.
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EXPOSURES AWASH INFRASTRUCTURE & RESEARCH CENTER
Minard Map (Left) Programmatic Plan (Above)
The axonometric cutaway and plan describes the scale of these inner workings in relation to the larger owens lake.The roofscapes of these footprints allow for viewing of the micro polygons by researchers and the public. Visitors exist in between machine support systems and the synthetic landscape,constantly in view of both. As we move between micro and macro we reorient the aerial imagery back to the elevation. Where at afar the footprint merges into the atmosphere of Owens lake, however in the close view the machine life support is revealed. Multitudes of realities are blurred as scale shifts between the micro scale of a sprinkler line and the extensive perimeter of the polygon.
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Axonometric Cutaway & Distant Elevation - Owens Lake T3-NE - T3-SE
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EXPOSURES AWASH INFRASTRUCTURE & RESEARCH CENTER
The shift between resolution and view blurs the relationship between infrastructure and landscape, flickering the focus between geography and the synthetic. The hyper reality of the landscape is able to reshape owens lake through a shoegaze lens, creating a flickering between natural and unnatural. Where landscape, infrastructure and machines become new non-static species within the ecology of Owens lake.
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THE
TREE
HOUSE
RESIDENCE ON A UPS BUILIDNG on 522 greenwich st, new york city critic: gisela baurmann Nominated in PressingMatter
“...... The project aims to find a new way to define living and comfort condition in such a high-density and “over-developed” city like NYC. The residential tower is on top of a historically valuable building, trying to make connection with the site and the urban premise. ”
figures: analysis of maple seeds (above) axonometric cutaway of 2b-2b residence units(right)
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THE TREE HOUSE RESIDENCE ON A UPS BUILIDNG
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THE TREE HOUSE RESIDENCE ON A UPS BUILIDNG
Choisy View of the Lobby (Left) Geometry Relationship Diagram(Above)
The Tree House aims to find a new way to define living and comfort condition
in such a high-density and “over-developed� city like NYC. The residential tower is on top of a historically valuable building, trying to make connection with the site and the urban premise. Starting from a study on Maple Seeds, a design idea emphasizing the contrast between volume and surface is developed into 3 different design languages, which are later developed into 3 different units (living conditions): 1. Volume into surface (developed into a 2b2b apartment); 2. Volume to point (luxury loft studio); 3. Volume inside of volumes (nesting studio with garden around).
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THE TREE HOUSE RESIDENCE ON A UPS BUILIDNG
Site Map showing Transportation Flow (Left) Street View showing the Scale (Above)
Based on the geometry of the units developed, a “interior core tower” is generated by stacking units on top of each other. When the units “go up” they automatically rotate and support each other structurally. Then, responding to the street condition and the city grid, an sculpturistic urban envelope is designed to shelter the units inside, meanwhile the envelope turns and folds with it interact with the 3 streets meet the building that it will create a new condition wherever it interact with street to allow visibility and connectivity. Therefore, the building is divided into a bridge, public spaces (skating parks, outdoor terrace, a library etc.), and the residential tower.
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THE TREE HOUSE RESIDENCE ON A UPS BUILIDNG
Facade Axonometric (Left) Longitudinal Section (Above)
After that, the tower is further developed by 3 different scales: units and the urban envelope as mentioned, and the third is the community scale representing 3 to 4 floors of units in which amount they repeat themselves because of the natural geometry and thus create a new urban condition. The form of the tower is developed by such “community scale�, by pushing and pull on each side of the tower. The interior units tower then rotate 45 degrees against the envelope so the units can have chance to stick out of the tower to acquire more light and air, in other words, a more comfortable and humane living condition.
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Annotation in Plan
01. Unit Loft 02. Facade 03. Orchid Garden 04. Private Balcony 05.Unit 2B2B 06. Public Area 07. Mimosa Corridor 08. Core
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THE TREE HOUSE RESIDENCE ON A UPS BUILIDNG
Floor Plan 01 (Left) Physical Model Photos showing Cohabitation (Above)
The project also considers the relationship between human and other organisms. Mimosa, which is also known as shaming plants because their feature of closing leaves when being touched, are cohabiting with human beings in the residence. Mimosa will be living where the walls are about to intersect and space gets narrower. These narrow space were supposed to be not welcomed, yet because of the presence of mimosa, they can be interacting walls that can bring fun and fresher air due to mimosa’s air cleaning feature. Despite mimosa, there is also an orchid garden goes all the way through the tower that can be understood as a half of the void space in between the solid unit space and the envelope that can largely save the space and bring nature inside.
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Annotation in Plan
01. Unit Loft 02. Public Area 03. Orchid Garden 04.Exterior Corridor 05.Studio with Garden 06. Private Balcony 07. Exterior Garden 08. Core
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THE TREE HOUSE RESIDENCE ON A UPS BUILIDNG
The facade is designed as a collage of all the elements mentioned above, it is a projection of the inside solid space but also an extension of the void space.
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OTHER
SMALL OBJECTS AND VISUAL STUDIES somewhere on earth
visual representations
figures: Study of Views (Left) critic: andrew saunders 1. view in the gallery 2. view to the sky 3. intersection 4. 5.6. architecture as landscape
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WORKS
OTHER WORKS SMALL OBJECTS AND VISUAL STUDIES
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OTHER WORKS SMALL OBJECTS AND VISUAL STUDIES
U.S. Patent
Sheet 1 of 1
U.S. 5,194,299
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1 3
1 2
Fig. 02 Top
Fig. 03 Bottom
0’-8” 6
7 1
1
1 0’-3” 2
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Fig. 04 Elevation
Fig. 05 Section
Parafictional Object critic: Kutan Ayata partener: Bin Liu
Inspired by the idea of lemon squeezers, we invented a opener for thoese delicious double-headed shells that had been founded on Jersy Shore in alternate 1940s.
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Parafictional Object(below) Shellfish Squeezer The Aftermath Object Study(right)
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OTHER WORKS SMALL OBJECTS AND VISUAL STUDIES
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An endless exploration of humanity, nature, soceity, culture, art, and architecture.
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measure of curiosity .
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