Simon Phipps' Brutal Scotland Exhibition at Street Level Photoworks Explores Post-War Architecture

Until 16 May, Street Level Photoworks in Glasgow is hosting "Brutal Scotland," a photography exhibition by Simon Phipps that spans 25 years of capturing post-war modernist architecture. This showcase includes 160 structures from the 1950s to the 1970s throughout Scotland. Phipps employs a subtle approach, depicting buildings such as St Peter's Seminary with a neutral clarity. His works, notably "Brutal London" and "Finding Brutalism," have explored the concrete landscapes of Britain, with the latter receiving the DAM Architectural Book Award in 2018. The exhibition’s design, influenced by Manplan magazine, immerses visitors, while critic Catherine Slessor praises Phipps' "steady, neutral gaze," and architect Paul Stallan remarks on the inherent tension in Brutalist design. An accompanying book further contextualizes Scotland's architecture within the wider UK framework.