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 at a great distance but are also appreciated at close range, since the images are created from thousands of small pieces of stone and recycled glass aggregate. From a distance, viewers see the strong yellows and tans in the Hippocrates panel, the russet shades of the Gorrie panel and the sepias and blues in the Blackwell panel as large vibrant color fields that stand out against the red brick and white marble architecture. As one approaches the exterior niches, the terrazzo murals reveal language fading in and out of each monumental portrait honoring the predecessors of modern medicine and are inlayed into the building’s architecture. This text and icons specific to each doctor contribute to the portrayals of Hippocrates the ancient scholar, Gorrie the inventor and Blackwell the first woman in the United States to receive a medical degree.