近日，來自加州大學伯克利分校的建築學教授Ronald Rael以及聖何塞州立大學副教授Virginia San Fratello，在墨西哥的華雷斯城和美國新墨西哥州之間的邊境牆上，安裝了三個粉紅色的蹺蹺板。這樣一來，邊境兩側的居民可以一起做遊戲。
戳視頻，一起來看看這個「跨國蹺蹺板」是怎麼操作的↓↓
這三個特殊的蹺蹺板安裝完成後，居住在邊境的人們紛紛前來「打卡」。Rael在社交媒體Instagram上發布的一段視頻顯示，無論大人還是孩子，都對這個裝置充滿了興趣，玩得不亦樂乎。據CNN報導，Rael稱，這項在邊境牆上進行的活動充滿歡聲笑語和團結友愛。
He said the event was 「filled with joy, excitement and togetherness at the border wall」.
CNN：藝術家在邊境建造蹺蹺板，美墨邊境的孩子們因而可以一起遊戲Rael認為，邊境牆是美墨關係的支點。他希望這個「跨國蹺蹺板」，能將兩邊的孩子和大人通過有意義的方式連接在一起，並讓大家認識到，邊境牆一方的行為會直接影響另一方。
San Fratello says she and Rael hope, "that people will see this act of joy and happiness and positivity and togetherness and realize that we're all the same, on both sides of the fence. And that we want the same things for our lives and for our children."
"We should be together not apart," she adds.
這個「跨國蹺蹺板」不僅給邊境居民帶來了快樂，還收穫了美國媒體和網友的一片稱讚。美國《新聞周刊》的報導稱，總部位於德克薩斯州的難民與移民教育和法律服務中心讚揚這種「跨國蹺蹺板」裝置是一個強有力的提醒——「我們是一個整體」。The Texas-based Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES) also praised the border wall installation as a powerful reminder that "we are all one.""Beautiful reminder that we are connected," wrote Mexican TV star Mauricio Martínez, who shared video of the seesaw installation to Twitter. "What happens on one side impacts the other."
2020年美國民主黨總統候選人Beto O'Rourke的拉丁語信息總監Claudia Tristán也在推特上表示，「蹺蹺板具有神奇的象徵意義。邊境牆不能讓我們和鄰居分離。」
"The symbolism of the seesaw is just magical," said Claudia Tristán, the Director of Latinx Messaging for 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke.
我對此感到震驚和感動。經過多年的構想，這個裝置終於以難以置信和充滿意義的方式得以實現。對讓此舉成真的每個人表示祝賀！
祝賀這項令人震撼的偉大工程！來自世界各地的我們對此表示致敬。
這個難以置信的美麗的蹺蹺板。感謝你們，讓人們團結在一起。
好贊！「一方做出的舉動會直接影響另一方」，這句話很扎心，也很打動人。
人性本應如此
太美好了。它讓人們團結在一起，即便在現實中被分開。
十年前的構思終成現實
2006年，美國《安全圍欄》法案通過後，Rael和San Fratello在美墨邊境從事建築工作時，就已經在構思這個項目了。
Rael and San Fratello began conceiving the project while doing architectural work near the border following the passage of the Secure Fence Act of 2006. 2009年，兩人在《作為建築的邊境牆》一書中提出了「跨國蹺蹺板」的概念，他們認為，這樣的裝置是用「幽默和創造力改善障礙的無用性」。In 2009, the two designed a concept for a binational seesaw at the border for a book, "Borderwall as Architecture," which uses "humor and inventiveness to address the futility of building barriers," UC-Berkeley said.10年後，這個構想終於變成了現實。Rael團隊將蹺蹺板運至新墨西哥州的桑蘭公園，蹺蹺板在墨西哥華雷斯城通過鋼柵欄分開。
Ten years later, their conceptual drawings became reality. Rael and his crew transported the seesaws to Sunland Park, New Mexico, separated by a steel fence from Ciudad Juárez, Mexico.
San Fratello對美國時代周刊表示，他們選擇在這裡安裝蹺蹺板是因為兩邊的人都可以在此地輕易地靠近圍欄。蹺蹺板被刷成粉紅色是因為這個顏色「流行而且充滿活力，同時也是為了紀念那些在華雷斯城婦女被殺案件中失去生命的女性」。1993年以來，華雷斯城內有數百名婦女和少女被殺害。They chose the location because it was a place where people in either country could directly approach the fence. The see-saws were painted hot pink to 「pop and be vibrant, but also to honor the women who died during the femicides and the time of violence in Juárez,」 says San Fratello, referring to the hundreds of women and girls murdered in Ciudad Juárez since 1993.
時代周刊：這三個粉色蹺蹺板讓邊境充滿歡聲笑語和團結友愛，這些建築師將美墨邊境變成了遊樂場
San Fratello介紹道，蹺蹺板是用輕質鋼材製成，並且「將牆體本身作為支點，能夠快速、輕鬆地進行安裝」。「可以在一分鐘內安裝好。」They are made of lightweight steel, she explains, and 「designed to be installed quickly and easily using the wall itself as a fulcrum.
「We could literally set [them] up in one minute,」 she says.
San Fratello稱，孩子們住的地方靠近邊境牆，蹺蹺板安裝時他們就圍在外面。「一旦有人來到邊境牆附近，他們就會圍上來與他們交流。」「當我們帶著蹺蹺板出現的時候，他們就做好玩的準備了。」
According to San Fratello, the children lived close to the border fencing in both countries, and were already outside when the see-saws were installed. "As soon as someone comes up to the border wall, they come up and will engage you," she tells TIME. "When we showed up with the teetertotters, they were there and ready to play."
此前，美國最高法院裁定允許川普政府從國防部經費中撥款25億美元修建邊境牆。美國總統川普在競選期間許諾將建造美墨邊境隔離牆，此後，邊境變得更為政治敏感。但San Fratello強調，她和Rael早在此之前就做過類似的項目。Though the border has become politicized since Donald Trump was elected President following a campaign built on the promise of wall between the United States and Mexico, San Fratello emphasized that she and Rael had been doing projects like this long beforehand.
San Fratello對《時代》周刊表示：「這些年來，我們一直在邊境地區旅行，看到邊境安全不斷加強，隔離牆也一直在修建。」「我們開始提出這些相反的提案和評論，也算是重新思考國界意義的一種方式。」
While the border is quite literally a dividing line between the United States and Mexico, San Fratello says that is "also a place where people come together. We wanted to create scenarios that would celebrate togetherness. And also highlight the ridiculousness of the border wall."
一名美國海關和邊境保護局的官員表示，美國邊境巡邏人員「在隔離牆遇到了一個自稱是當地大學教職工的小團體。他們在牆中間放置了木板，似乎是想在和墨西哥居民遊戲的同時，記錄下兩方人民互相交往的場景。」
In a statement to TIME, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection official says U.S. Border Patrol agents "encountered a small group who identified themselves as local university faculty/staff at the border wall. They had placed boards through the wall and appeared to be playing with residents of Mexico while recording the engagement."
聲明中還提到，「工作人員確認在整個過程中沒有任何人或物品穿越國界。」"Agents ensured that no people/goods were crossed during the encounter."
Rael曾在TED演講裡說過一段話，為隔離牆的用途作出了新奇的假設——比如說，它可以用來做棒球場的圍欄，或者一種巨大的工具。San Fratello表示，「老實說，（川普）總統任期正好能讓大眾關注我們所做的這些工作，」Rael had previously given a TED Talk highlighting novel hypothetical uses for the border wall — as fencing for a baseball field, say, or as a giant instrument. 「Honestly, [Trump’s] presidency has just brought attention to the work that we』ve been doing,」 San Fratello says.
編輯：胡雨濛
實習生：楊敏儀
記者：祝韻笛