Brutal Scotland

The focus of this new exhibition is Scotland’s post-war modernist architecture, selected from Phipps’ extensive photographic series which embraced 160 buildings across the country. Brutalist buildings in Scotland, emerging from post-war optimism (1950s–1970s), hold immense historical relevance as tangible, concrete symbols of social ambition, architectural experimentation, urban renewal, and in some cases the outcome of rapid slum clearance. While sometimes divisive, these structures—such as St Peter’s Seminary and Cumbernauld Centre—are increasingly recognised as having significant architectural heritage, representing a bold, functionalist era that aimed to improve lives. These once state-of-the-art structures are at a crossroads where some have fallen into disrepair and neglect, whilst some are being repurposed for contemporary use.

For over 25 years, Simon Phipps has been documenting brutalist architecture across Britain, of which ‘Brutal Scotland’ is the latest iteration, and captured in a luxurious book designed and launched by Graphical House and published by Duckworth Books. The exhibition takes the form of a monographic installation embracing the two galleries at Street Level.