The Covid-19 pandemic changed the lives of everyone in Scotland, but the ways by which it affected each community were unique. Remembering Together is a national project which seeks to give each of Scotland’s 32 local authorities their own way to remember and mark their experiences of the pandemic.
On 31st May, the Scottish Borders Remembering Together project will unveil the new Borders Together tartan marking the varied experiences of the Covid pandemic on the Scottish Borders area. Commissioned artists Two Destination Language worked with around 700 Borderers across an 18 month period to develop the idea and design.
The unveiling event celebrates the weaving of the tartan for the first time along with its use in creative projects across the area as it begins its distribution to community spaces across the Scottish Borders.
Since the Scottish Borders Remembering Together project began last autumn, over 700 contributions have helped shape the decision to create a new tartan, and what that looks like. These resulted in two designs which draw on the experiences that Borderers shared as well as the particular colour and design ideas they contributed. Borderers voted on the final design at the end of 2023.
During the process, many people in the community spoke about Borders landscapes: the sea, rivers, lochs and reservoirs; the brilliant skies of 2020’s spring and summer; and the brightness of gorse, broom, heather and forests.
There were also references to the uniforms of health and care workers, the masks and warning signs of the pandemic. People shared loss, grief and guilt as well as the challenges of isolation, while others spoke of hope and a new-forged community.
The design draws on colour combinations selected by contributors and incorporates a reference to the five localities of the Borders with many participants wanting the tartan to be something that joins people across the whole region.
Lead artist Katherina Radeva said: “When I saw the new tartan on the loom for the first time, I burst into tears. For me, the design is layered with the hundreds of stories which people have shared across the project.
“It honours lives lost, it respects the extraordinary labour of those whose work filled with new challenges, and it contains the multitude of ways people moved forwards individually and together.”
Following the public vote to select the tartan, a callout was made for community groups to apply for grant funding for creative proposals which enhance the tartan’s accessibility.
Ten groups have now been chosen to develop their ideas.
More information of the selected groups from across Scottish Borders can be found here: https://www.twodestinationlanguage.com/rtb