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The wall that builds bridges - 1st February 2021

The ‘Teeter Totter Wall’ has been awarded the prestigious 2020 Design of the Year prize after it succeeded in an unlikely act of unification by bringing people together on both sides of the Mexico-US border.

The collection of luminous pink seesaws enabled the young and the young at heart in both countries to engage with each other. Breaching the US government's controversial border wall, the seesaws' intense fuchsia beams slotted between the slats of the metal barrier. Despite being dismantled after a mere 20 minutes of fun, this unusual cross border connection attracted praise from around the world after viral videos of the installation flooded social media.

Installed by University of California’s architecture professor, Ronald Rael, and San José State University’s associate professor of design Virginia San Fratello, the seesaws have been a decade in the making. The creators hoped the design would encourage a reassessment of the effectiveness of borders. According to Rael, the installation was intended to stimulate dialogue in "a very frank way but using humour."

“The wall became a literal fulcrum for US-Mexico relations,” Rael wrote at the time. “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.”

Tim Marlow is the director of London's Design Museum, which oversees the prize. He explained that the seesaw had struck a chord with the judging panel for its capacity to stimulate human connection. "It remains an inventive and poignant reminder of how human beings can transcend the forces that seek to divide us."

Astonished at the “unexpected honour” of their win, Rael feels the recognition comes at an apposite time, as the incoming American administration inspires hopes of a sea change in US border policy.