Peacock Curtain, 2006
Dolores and Sanford Ziff Ballet Opera House

Green Lace Scrim, 2006
John S. and James L. Knight Concert Hall

Influenced by the extravagant screen curtains of early twentieth century movie palaces, Zakanitch’s design for the Peacock Curtain is flashy, formal and full of ornamentation. Zakantich is perhaps the first artist to create a work of public art in the form of an Opera Hall Curtain. Standing 40 feet tall and 100 feet wide, the curtain has a dominant presence in the Ballet Opera House and truly enhances the interior finishes.  When lit with theatrical lighting, Peacock Curtain has the ability to change from a golden amber to a beautiful shade of blue.

After seeing the curtain hung for the first time, the artist describes, The enormity of (the curtain) had radically changed the visual scale of the hibiscus trellis, quite a shocking, joyful jolt. The so called palms, anchoring the bottom, now read as the base for feathers and all of the trellis motif, together with the floral imagery, read as glorious tail feathers with stylized flowered eyes. For me, it was no loner an exotic, overall floral tropical pattern, but rather it had been transformed into an entirely new exotic being. It was the beautiful color of blue light that brought it all out and clarified everything.

In addition to Peacock Curtain, Zakanitch was commissioned to design a semi-transparent scrim, serving as a veil for the organ in the 2,200 seat Concert Hall. Titled Green Lace Scrim, the piece consists of five overlapping layers. The subtle green of the scrim enhances the interior colors of the space and provides a visual backdrop to the wide variety of musical events that will take place in the Concert Hall.