In 1989
Unity Savings commissioned Lakich to make a sculpture for their Brentwood
branch. Like Drive-In which she built for the corporate
headquarters in Beverly Hills, the sculpture was to be mounted on an interior
wall facing windows through which it would be visible to street traffic.
The two-part composition pairs mask-like heads. Curved
metal forms and streamers of light join ram with harlequin and bull with sun
god, articulating the iconography of ancient festivals in a contemporary medium.
The highly finished aluminum catches and blends the neon and ambient light
on the surface so that the light seems to emanate from the metal. The layering
of colored light on several planes gives the glowing auras a dense texture.
Filled with neon, argon and helium gases, 230 feet of glass
tubing enlace the 150 square-foot sculpture, employing 65,000 volts of electricity.
Nathan Prusan, a master tube bender with fifty years of experience, fabricated
the tubes. He has worked with the artist since 1971. Lakich’s assistant,
Tony Atherton, executed the metal work and expert hand finishing.
When Unity Savings closed in 1992, Lakich acquired
the sculpture. It is currently on display in her downtown Los Angeles studio.
