A mother and her baby play on a seesaw installed between the steel fence that divides Mexico from the United States in Ciudad de Juarez, Mexico, Sunday, July 28, 2019. The seesaw was designed by Ronald Rael, a professor of architecture in California. AP Photo/Christian Chavez
A rare sight of positive drama emerged along the stretch of the usually tension-packed border wall separating the United States and Mexico over the weekend as artists installed flamingo pink seesaws in the steel fence, giving American and Mexican children a chance to play with each other.
The brainchild “Teeter-Totter Wall,” which started in 2009, was kickstarted by architecture professor and anti-border wall campaigner Ronald Rael and associate professor of design Virginia San Fratello in an effort to “unify” and “meaningfully connect” families on each side.
In an Instagram post, Rael said the installation “to bring life to the conceptual drawings” of the playground along the controversial border wall was one of his and San Fratello’s “ most incredible experiences” in their careers as designers.
The university professor also described the event as “filled with joy, excitement, and togetherness at the border wall.”
The two have since posted on their social media accounts photos and videos showing kids and adults sharing light moments and playing together on the playscape.
Rael said the wall, which became “a literal fulcrum for US-Mexico relations,” allows children and adults to connect “in meaningful ways on both sides” and is a reminder that what happens to a place on one side has a direct impact on the other side. /ra