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On September 18th 2014, the people in Scotland will decide on whether or not they want to stay part of the United Kingdom. If they vote yes, we will see the end of the 300 year Union with England and Scotland will become an independent country.  Even if Scotland votes to remain part of the Union it is broadly accepted that they will gain more control over its own affairs and the United Kingdom will not be what it once was.

What about those in the rest of the United Kingdom? What about those just south of the border – those whose lives are intertwined with, and often co-dependent on, their Scottish neighbours?

In April 2014, we – London based photographer Jo Metson Scott and writer Sarah Saey – drove across the English borderland region – from the Solway Firth in the West, following the English-Scottish border to Berwick Upon Tweed in the east – curious to learn more about this region we knew little about. 

Our aim is to present our findings with photos and stories of the people and places we encountered, providing an impression of life on the English side of the border at a pivotal time for the United Kingdom.

Biographies:

Jo Metson Scott and Sarah Saey have collaborated since 2010 when they worked on a project featuring soldiers who had fought in the Iraq War and who have subsequently spoken out against it. This project became a book, entitled The Grey Line, and was published by Dewi Lewis in 2013.

Jo Metson Scott is a portrait and documentary photographer. She has been published by The Telegraph, New York Times, The Guardian, Wallpaper magazine, Bon, Twin, and Dazed and Confused. Her work has been exhibited in the UK and around the world, including Arles Photography Festival, New York Photography festival and 54th Venice Biennale fringe. Sarah Saey is a television producer and video journalist. She also works as a freelance writer and has published work in Accent and Darwin Magazine among others.