Since 2007, photographer Valerio Vincenzo has been working on his award-winning project, Borderline, the Frontiers of Peace.

With the help of GPS and detailed maps, Vincenzo has explored dozens of free and open borders amongst 26 European countries that share over 16,500 km of peaceful borders. On his project page, Vincenzo adds:

 

“Borderline, the Frontiers of Peace strives to show the results of a historical change that has taken place over the last decades in Europe. Since the signature of the Schengen Agreements in 1985, the borders of most of the European continent have been erased little by little from the landscapes and people’s imaginations. These Agreements are a giant leap in the progressive unification of Europe and the emergence of a European conscience.
 
Today, with 26 countries belonging to the Schengen Area, 16,500 km of borders can be freely crossed. The attribution of the Nobel Peace Prize to Europe in 2012 has confirmed the historical importance of this slow, almost imperceptible, but radical change.”

 

Below you will find select photos from this incredible project where 50 large format prints were exhibited last year at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris! To see the entire series and more, check out the links below.

[via Kottke]