Travel Instagrammer of the Week: Ronald Rael, Artist at the U.S.-Mexico Border

Ronald Rael (rrael)

The U.S.-Mexico border has been the subject of political conversation for some time now. In July 2019, two artists built it into an art installation: “Teetertotter Wall,” seen in the Instagram post below.

The artists—Ronald Rael, a professor of architecture at the University of California, Berkeley, and Virginia San Fratello, an associate professor of design at San José State University—installed three pink see-saws (aka teetertotters) into a section of the U.S.-Mexico border wall in Sunland Park, New Mexico. As Upworthy writes, the see-saws “extend into both the U.S. and Mexico through the barrier between the two countries. Children and adults on both sides of the border can play together, seesawing up and down, their view of one another partially obscured by the vertical steel slats that separate them.”

Rael’s Instagram post (he’s rrael) sharing the installation has already been liked by more than 215,000 people.

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View this post on Instagram

 

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, @anateresafernandez for 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 #teetertotterwall #seesaw #subibaja

A post shared by Ronald Rael (@rrael) on Jul 28, 2019 at 11:22pm PDT

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