Conrad expressed interest in building the sculpture in either Beverly Hills or Santa Monica. In 1988, he created a two-foot model of the sculpture and proposed his work to the Santa Monica Art Commission. Santa Monica debated the proposal for the next four years. While Santa Monica considered the proposal, Conrad proposed the sculpture to the Beverly Hills Fine Arts Committee in early 1989. The committee, appointed by the Beverly Hills City Council, deliberated Conrad's proposed sculpture for three months. During that time, Conrad was attacked as an antisemite by several residents of Beverly Hills because of his recent editorial cartoons depicting the Israeli–Palestinian conflict during the intifada. The Beverly Hills committee eventually turned down the proposal for the Chain Reaction sculpture on April 12, 1989, citing the lack of a suitable site in Beverly Hills that could accommodate the structure. "It is a piece of monumental proportions that needs a very large, large area," committee chairwoman Ellen Byrens told the "Los Angeles Times".