
New Schools
Public School 313 The Detective Wenjian Liu School of Civics and Entrepreneurship
Brooklyn
2024
P.S. 313 The Detective Wenjian
Liu School of Civics and
Entrepreneurship provides
15 standard, 4 pre-k
classrooms, 3 kindergarten,
2 special education classrooms,
and 8 D75 classrooms.
The project includes:
Reading and speech resource rooms
Science classrooms
Art and music classrooms
Library
Administrative, guidance and
medical suites
Staff lunch and work rooms
Community room
Kitchen and cafeteria
Gymatorium
Exercise room
Outdoor play space
Lost and Found is a site-specific artwork created by Joe Bochynski for the lobby of the new Detective Wenjian Liu
School of Civics and Entrepreneurship, Brooklyn. The 16-foot-wide installation is composed of an assortment of
materials including ceramic tile, cast resin and found objects. It depicts an imaginary archaeological dig beneath
the school building, featuring fantastical artifacts and fossils that might have been unearthed during its construction.
The installation centers around two large medallions showing the above ground and below ground views of a
magical tree. The tree in the right sphere contains within its limbs and leaves, a bounty of fruits from around the
world, a squirrel and an owl. In the left sphere, the tree’s root system holds buried treasures both man-made and
natural, including a vintage cell phone, root vegetables, and fossils. Together the two spheres represent a unique
vision of past, present and future. Relics from natural history, such as gemstones, minerals, botanicals, and
footprints surround the spheres. A frieze runs along the top of the artwork displaying a whimsical array of relics and
remnants of modern life including a 1930s radio, a 1970s Rubik’s Cube and a 1990s Apple iMac computer. Taken
all together, the playful artwork conveys the excitement of learning from history and encourages a creative and
critical view of our material world.