Seesaws let children play together across US-Mexico border fence, in rebuke to Donald Trump’s plan to build a wall
- ‘Teetertotter Wall’ project was brainchild of California professors Ronald Rael and Virginia San Fratello
- Images of pink seesaws trend on social media, drawing praise as US president pushes to tighten immigration rules
Two California professors have installed seesaws across the US-Mexico border in a blunt rebuke to US President Donald Trump over his plans to build a wall along the 3,200km (2,000-mile) boundary between the two countries.
The three pink seesaws were unveiled on Monday at a border fence separating Sunland Park, in New Mexico, and Ciudad Juarez, in Mexico, allowing children and adults on either side to play together.
Ronald Rael, a professor of architecture at the University of California Berkeley who came up with the project with Virginia San Fratello, a professor of design at San Jose University, said the idea for “Teetertotter Wall” had been in the making for a decade.
He said seeing the project come to life was “one of the most incredible experiences” for him and Fratello, describing the event at the border as “filled with joy, excitement, and togetherness”.
“The wall became a literal fulcrum for US-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,” he added.