The Pink Seesaws 2 Favorite 

The US-Mexico border wall has become a battleground for political theater, but also various artistic interventions. One of these outstanding artworks is the pink seesaws. They went viral after they were installed by the two creative architects Ronald Rael and Virginia San Fratello. Between the erect giant steel posts of the border fence lie small gaps a couple of inches apart. It is this space where they installed the seesaws.

Their work is located at Sunland Park, nine miles northwest of El Paso, on the 18 feet slats border wall between Mexico and the United States. The duo collaborated with the architectural firm Colectivo Chopekealongside steelworkers in Ciudad Juarez to construct the materials. They started to erect the wall without asking for permission or informing news outlets.

Rael, one of the designers, said in Texas Monthly:
"It was intended to be a very humble event. We just wanted to test what it meant to bring people together along the border through design."

The installation was taken down the same day, but Rael and San Fratello are still dedicated to continuing their project. Looking ahead, the duo wants to challenge the impact the current wall has already had.

"The construction of a wall dehumanizes a population. When we cut people off from neighbors or from communities, and when we damage the environment, it comes with consequences. We’re going to have to reckon with that. We want to help transform the borderlands into a place where we can heal the scars that the wall has produced."

Shortly after erecting the wall, the duo was inundated with calls and emails, and Rael’s post on Instagram has been viewed over 200,000 times. At first, the two didn’t know the full scale of impact the teeter-totter wall would have, and Rael, one of the architects, even conveyed shock at how sensational it has become. One of the most incredible experiences of my and (Virginia San Fratello) career was bringing to life the conceptual drawing of the Teeter-totter Wall from 2009 in an event filled with joy, excitement, and togetherness at the border wall, he posted on social media.

Source: Martin Schulze (2019-11-22). Why were there seesaws at the border?. Retrieved from https://publicdelivery.org/ronald-rael-seesaws/