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Phantoms of the UN opera

The building housing the United Nations in Geneva, the Palais des Nations - is due for a renovation. Photographer François Vermot has captured the style and furnishings from the 1930s and 70s before they are lost forever.

There are no people in Vermot’s series, titled ‘Diplomatic Imprints’. This intentionally puts the focus on the period furnishings from a bygone age.

“There are several corners of the Palais des Nations which transport the visitor into the past – the 30s or 70s, which were the periods when the building was renovated and enlarged,” writes the photographer.

Renovation work is expected to begin in 2023, and all that will be left will be the photographs.

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SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR