Formed in 2012, Document Scotland is a collective of four Scottish documentary photographers, brought together by a common vision to witness and record important and diverse stories about Scotland and the Scots. Tired of the tropes and clichés which are often used to represent Scotland, their aim is to provide an accurate view of their nation today.
Set within the context of contemporary political debate and social changes, A Contested Land consists of four new projects by photographers Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert, Sophie Gerrard, Colin McPherson and Stephen McLaren. Collectively, they examine the complex relationships between the nation’s people, history and land at one of the most important times in Scotland’s recent past.
The works reflect upon Scotland’s precarious environmental and economic landscape, within ongoing political conflicts that give these issues relevance and urgency. During both the Independence and European Union referendums, the word that dominated discussion was ‘change’ – it became the go-to for the dissatisfied. However, even with this uncertainty, the referendums have highlighted the fact that the Scottish people are proud of their identity and independent voice.
The four bodies of work presented in A Contested Land – exhibited for the first time at the Martin Parr Foundation – reflect upon the ongoing changes Scotland continues to face.