The latest addition to the border wall that separates the United States and Mexico is an unusual one: a pink seesaw. And unlike Donald Trump’s intentions, this installation aims to bring “joy, excitement and togetherness” to families on both sides of the border, as one of the artists, Ronald Rael, puts it. This unique add-on comes courtesy of two professors; Rael, an architecture professor at the University of California, Berkley, and Virginia San Fratello, an associate professor of design at San Jose State.
The two professors revealed the seesaw on Monday via an Instagram post. They came up with the concept 10 years ago, a reminder that while Trump and his policies are abhorrent, this actually isn’t a new issue.
The bright pink seesaw can be seen between Ciudad Juárez in Mexico's Chihuahua State and El Paso, Texas.
“The wall became a literal fulcrum for U.S.-Mexico relations and children and adults were connected in meaningful ways on both sides with the recognition that the actions that take place on one side have a direct consequence on the other side,” Rael wrote in the Instagram post, which has already gone viral. You can view the post below.
Here’s the touching caption, pasted over from the above Instagram post:
One of the most incredible experiences of my and @vasfsf’s career bringing to life the conceptual drawings of the Teetertotter Wall from 2009 in an event filled with joy, excitement, and togetherness at the borderwall. The wall became a literal fulcrum for U.S. - Mexico relations and children and adults were connected in meaningful ways on both sides with the recognition that the actions that take place on one side have a direct consequence on the other side. Amazing thanks to everyone who made this event possible like Omar Rios @colectivo.chopeke for collaborating with us, the guys at Taller Herrería in #CiudadJuarez for their fine craftsmanship, @anateresafernandezfor encouragement and support, and everyone who showed up on both sides including the beautiful families from Colonia Anapra, and @kerrydoyle2010, @kateggreen , @ersela_kripa , @stphn_mllr , @wakawaffles, @chris_inabox and many others (you know who you are). #raelsanfratello#borderwallasarchitecture
And a second view:
RAICES tweeted about the installation, too:
So did Claudia Tristán, director of Latinx messaging for Beto O'Rourke’s campaign:
As we know, the U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled in Trump’s favor, permitting him to use $2.5 billion of Pentagon funds to replacing existing pieces of the wall. This money will go to contracts that will replace fencing barriers in New Mexico, California, and Arizona. And while Trump hasn’t actually built his wall, as he promised supporters, he has separated children from their parents and kept said children (and adults) in inhumane conditions. But even with all of this horror in mind, this art is a sweet bit of relief and connection.