An installation by architecture studio Rael San Fratello, which connected children in the US and Mexico via a trio of seesaws slotted into the countries' border wall, has been crowned the Design of the Year.
Dubbed the Teeter-Totter Wall, the project was in place for only around 40 minutes in July of 2019 and hoped to foster a sense of unity at the divisive border, which was highly politicised under the Trump administration.
Today, the seesaws devised by architects Virginia San Fratello and Ronald Rael were named both the transport category winner as well as the overall winner of the Beazley Designs of the Year awards, which are organised by London's Design Museum every year.
A five-person jury, which included designer Camille Walala and Ma-tt-er founder Seetal Solanki, came to its decision in the immediate aftermath of Joe Biden's victory in the US presidential election. Now, the result is being announced just a day before his inauguration and Donald Trump's departure from office.
Rael San Fratello set up the temporary installation in July 2019
In light of these events, Rael San Fratello's project once again takes on a particular significance, with the Design Museum's chief executive and director Tim Marlow describing it as an "inventive and poignant reminder of how human beings can transcend the forces that seek to divide us."
"It's become increasingly clear that walls don't work," San Fratello added. "Walls did not keep the violent protestors out...