Beautifying the Border
Don’t worry guys, we’re working several beautiful designs!
‘It’s a silly thing to design, a conundrum, [...] You might as well leave it to security and engineers.’ - Diller, Scofidio & Renfro to the NYTimes in the article A Fence With More Beauty, Fewer Barbs. (That’s a good answer, glad they opted out of the free press you might have gotten from the article. All walls must crumble, spread the word.)
The New York Times asked 13 architects to come up with a design for the proposed border along the Mexican American border. 4 of the 5 architects “proposed making the boundary a point of innovative integration, not traditional division - something that could be seen, from both sides, as a horizon of opportunity, not as a barrier.” The winner of the most ridiculous proposal goes to James Corner of Field Operations for his ‘Bush meets Gore hybrid.’ Followed closely to the factory light promenade by Calvin Tsao..
1. James Corner, Field Operations
Build a big big wall, then add solar panels to the 700 miles of wall. Have it power sustainable enterprise zones along the border bringing business from the North etc.
“Multinational corporations take advantage of loose environmental regulations and cheap Mexican labor—maquiladora workers are paid less than $5 a day. U.S.-run factories in Juarez—including Thomson/RCA, General Electric, Ford, and Dupont—have done little to ensure the safety of their female workers: girls have disappeared in the waste-grounds adjacent to factories, which are often unlit.” -Eve Ensler and Amnesty International March on Juarez to Stop the Murder of Young Women
by Hillary ChuteVillage Voice, February 17th, 2004 12:00 AM
2. Calvin Tsao, Tsao & McKown
Calvin also proposes the Special Economic Zone along the border, but instead of collecting light from solar power, he instead wishes the factories light up a border of light. Add that to the Tributes in Light. Something akin to spanish promenades or paseos. Look honey, how beautiful the factories have lit up the border, why don’t we walk down from Matamoros Mexico to Tiajuana in to see what we see!
NOW Calls for Commitment to Stop Brutal Murder of Juarez Women; Mexico Appoints New Prosecutor to Investigate Killings By Holly Cowart, Publications Intern
June 9, 2005 National Organization for Women
3. Enrique Norten, TEN Arquitectos
Use the budget for the border to make more highways. Not a bad idea, the PanAmerican freeway should need some improvements right about now. (wiki: PanAmerican Highway)
4. Antoine Predock, architect based in Albuquerque.
Antoine wants to build a mirage of a border, a little mental torture for those parched and exhausted immigrants. I like that.
This article can be read in it’s entirety here:
A Fence With More Beauty, Fewer Barbs.
June 18, 2006, Sunday By WILLIAM L. HAMILTON (NYT)
Tangential video suggestions:
Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr. (1999) An Errol Morris documentary Fred Leuchter, a self proclaimed expert on death, makes a brief career of of improving methods of execution.