Diana Sofia Lozano, Chemical Inflorescence, 2024, mixed media, PS 413 Joanne Seminara School of Law and Medicine, Brooklyn​

Chemical Inflorescence is a site-specific artwork created by Diana Sofia Lozano for the lobby ceiling of the new Joanne Seminara School of Law and Medicine, Brooklyn. The mixed media sculpture depicts a fantastical Hydrangea bush, stretching across the expanse of the lobby ceiling and extending downward on the lobby wall. It is made of bright, colorful flowerheads cast and hand-shaped from resin, varying in hues from pink to blue gradients. The translucent bulbs are supported by an armature of vine-like branches made of braided and painted steel wire. Identifiable as an abstract hydrangea, the sculpture evokes a curious, other-worldly quality with visual references to how the botanical world appears on a microscopic level. 

Lozano drew inspiration from the features of Bay Ridge’s natural environment. She learned that Bay Ridge is the only New York City neighborhood with an official flower—the hydrangea—and researched this plant’s unique ability to change color, from pink to purple to blue, depending on the soil's acidity. Her sculpture’s twisting vines also pay homage to the mature trees and vines in nearby greenspaces, like Narrows Botanical Garden and Owl’s Head Park. Additionally, mirrored acrylic shapes mounted to the ceiling cast a rippling light onto the lobby floor, reminiscent of the waves of the nearby tidal strait, the Narrows. By celebrating the beauty and resilience of the hydrangea, Lozano draws a metaphor to the school’s students who will thrive, grow, and blossom over their primary school years.