The Teeter Totter Wall, a trio of bright pink seesaws installed between the US and Mexico border, has been named Design of the Year 2020.
Created by architecture studio Rael San Fratello in July 2019, the installation allowed children on both sides of the border to play with the seesaws, despite being divided by a metal bars that comprise the wall.
The prestigious Design of the Year award, also known as Beazley Designs of the Year, is organised by London’s Design Museum.
Though the Teeter Totter Wall project was brief – the installation was only up for 40 minutes – it was seen by judges as “symbolically important”. Razia Iqbal, a chairperson for the Design Museum judges, noted that the work “talked about the possibility of things; that all kinds of things are possible when people come together with great ideas and determination".
The work had been more than a decade in the making. The idea came to Ronald Rael, an architecture professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and Virginia San Fratello, a design professor at San Jose State University, after the passing of the Secure Fence Act of 2006, which authorised the construction of hundreds of kilometres of fencing along the border.
Set up in El Paso, Texas, and Juarez, Mexico, Rael and San Fratello worked with a Mexican community collective to secretly assemble the seesaws and avoid the watchful eye of border patrol.
The installation gained international attention when they were unveiled, particularly in light of the Trump administration’s efforts to erect more border walls and his controversial migration separation policies.
The use of the colour pink was also significant, referring to the femicide memorials in Juarez.
Five other winners were awarded under the categories of architecture, digital, fashion, graphics and product. Among them was Impossible Foods, which won the product category for its development of the Impossible Burger 2.0, and Telfar under fashion for its design of the Telfar Bag, a vegan leather bag.
The graphics prize went to Alissa Eckert and Dan Higgins, who designed the 3D rendering of Sars-Cov-2, the image that shows the coronavirus with its grey spherical body and bright red spikes. The rendering was commissioned by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as way to enlighten people on the pandemic.
"Eckert and Higgins give the virus a beautiful yet threatening form," the Design Museum said.
The People's Choice went to brick arches made by protesters leading the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong. The simple structures, made from stacking ordinary bricks together to form an arch, were used as roadblocks against police vehicles.
Brief scores:
Day 1
Toss: India, chose to bat
India (1st innings): 215-2 (89 ov)
Agarwal 76, Pujara 68 not out; Cummins 2-40
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Abu Dhabi GP weekend schedule
Friday
First practice, 1pm
Second practice, 5pm
Saturday
Final practice, 2pm
Qualifying, 5pm
Sunday
Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps), 5.10pm
The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Biography
Favourite book: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Holiday choice: Anything Disney-related
Proudest achievement: Receiving a presidential award for foreign services.
Family: Wife and three children.
Like motto: You always get what you ask for, the universe listens.
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
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