Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL.

13.5’ x 13. 5’ each

FŌTERA® Concrete Terrazzo

2005

Monumental portraits of Hippocrates of Cos, John Gorrie, and Elizabeth Blackwell provide a powerful presence from a distance but also reward close viewing. Each image is composed of thousands of small pieces of stone and recycled glass aggregate. From afar, viewers see strong yellows and tans in the Hippocrates panel, russet shades in the Gorrie panel, and sepias and blues in the Blackwell panel—each forming vibrant color fields that stand out against the surrounding red brick and white marble architecture.

As one approaches the exterior niches, the terrazzo panels reveal language fading in and out of each portrait, honoring these predecessors of modern medicine. Text and icons specific to each figure are inlaid into the building’s architecture, contributing to the layered portrayals: Hippocrates as the ancient scholar, Gorrie as the inventor, and Blackwell as the first woman in the United States to earn a medical degree.