The Parks Department has installed a piece by the Spanish sculptor Manuel Ferreiro Badia on the southern point of Finn Square, right at the intersection of Varick, Leonard and West Broadway. The work will be in place from now until Feb. 2, 2021.

The stainless steel piece is titled “Compostela, A Fractal Study of a Shell,” and was completed in 2016. It will change — or “live” in the word of the artist — with sunlight. It is based on origami studies and is an attempt to reflect nature in its simplest, geometric form. (I happened to go by at night, in the rain, and I have to say that is the best way to view it.)

Ferreiro Badia was born in Spain in 1944. His work also includes painting, medal making, ceramics and design, and he has had dozens of solo and group exhibitions across the world. He also has numerous monuments and works in public spaces, and in museums and private collections.

It is a treat to have any public art installed in the neighborhood, but I have to say that this siting really makes Finn Square look even sadder. See it in situ in A Coruna, Spain, and you’ll see what I mean.