A manifesto on the border wall between the United States and Mexico

Read the original version in Spanish here.

Published on July 06, 2026

Recently, a Mexican-pink installation by design studio Rael San Fratello on the US-Mexico border went viral on social media. Its powerful political message resonated as residents from both countries gathered to ride the seesaws, symbolically breaking down the geopolitical barriers of one of the hemisphere's most violent regions.

According to an article published by the Igarapé Institute, homicide rates along the US-Mexico border reveal a reality so violently stark that Donald Trump's order early in his presidency to build a wall between the two countries seems unfortunate and even irrelevant, as issues like racism and xenophobia remain as potent as ever. This was recently exemplified by one of the deadliest mass shootings in US history at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, which left 22 dead and at least 26 injured by a 21-year-old US citizen.

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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 Gauthier and many others (you know who you are). #raelsanfratello #borderwallasarchitecture

Una publicación compartida de Ronald Rael (@rrael) el 28 Jul, 2019 a las 11:22 PDT

This situation has been—and will continue to be—discussed by various professionals seeking to understand the boundaries of this territory, and above all, to protest the hate speech and actions that have historically persisted over the years.

The firm Rael San Fratello is among the professionals dedicated to understanding and experimenting with these boundaries through proposals suggesting that the just over 1,000 kilometers of wall represent an opportunity for economic and social development along the border, encouraging its conceptual and physical dismantling.

In the book Borderwall as Architecture, Rael argues that despite the wall's intended purpose—to keep people divided and apart—it acts as an attractor that draws both sides into a common dialogue. Along the way, the transformative effects of the wall on people, animals, and the natural and built landscape are exposed and questioned through the stories of individuals on both sides of the border who transform the wall, challenging its existence in remarkably creative ways. Alongside these real-life accounts are design counterproposals for the wall, created by Rael's studio, which reimagine, hyperbolize, or question the wall's construction, cost, performance, and meaning.