mexican designer ramón jiménez cárdenas’ ‘mending wall’ is a series of eight grappling hooks, each designed to overcome a corresponding prototype of president trump’s proposed border wall between the united states and mexico. highlighting the contemporary issues both poetically and politically, the pieces are made of rebars and shaped to catch on the walls’ peaks.

the project’s title is a reference to american writer robert frost’s cognominal poem, which narrates a relationship between two neighbors that meet annually to repair a wall that divides their property. inspired by the federally funded border wall prototypes separating san diego, california and tijuana, mexico, the grappling hooks explain the practicality of climbing a wall and overcoming borders.

‘global trade systems, such as NAFTA, influence the export of crops and directly impact migration between the united states and mexico,’ comments ramón jiménez cárdenas. ‘while the relationship between the two countries has rarely been easy, the border has also allowed for many years of successful bilateral relations. despite the threat of physical barriers, the two countries are forever entwined.’

the grappling hooks are made from rebar which is needed in the casting of superior concrete/cement structures and are powder coated colors inspired by native mexican corn. the exposed welds and the fabrication methods refer back to the federally funded labor that went into building the prototypes.

the extruded silhouette forms represent the tops of the 8 proposed border wall prototypes. each silhouette is paired with a grappling hook to show that every barrier has a solution.



representative silhouettes of the 8 proposed border wall prototypes



proposed border wall prototypes with graphic language of the wall’s top cross-sections



initial research-based drawings

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: maria erman | designboom