Art Deco and the Modern Movement in Scotland
A talk by Bruce Peter on Saturday, 30 October, in Edinburgh and online
In this talk, Prof. Bruce Peter will explore Art Deco and Modern Movement architecture in Scotland and the connections between these two architectural design developments. He will take us on a journey from the Jazz Age into the post-war period, discussing Scotland’s residential, industrial and public buildings of the long mid-20th century – and no doubt also some maritime and other transport architecture.
Bruce Peter is Professor of Design History at Glasgow School of Art. He has researched and published extensively on modern architecture and design for transport, pleasure and hospitality and is also internationally known as a maritime historian, specialising in the design history of modern merchant ships. In 2025, he has published the seminal book Art Deco Scotland: Design and Architecture in the Jazz Age and is now awaiting the publications, in November, of his book Modern Scotland: An Architectural Journey Through 150 Post-War Buildings.
This event will be in person and streamed online. The venue has barrier-free access by lift. Tickets cost £7 / concession £5 / Docomomo members £3 in advance. You can buy tickets at TicketTailor.
Image – Gribloch House, in Kippen, Stirlingshire, designed by the architect Basil Spence in 1939 – photo Bruce Peter
Prospettiva Olivetti
Christmas film screening with Scottish architectural intro on Saturday, 04 December, in Edinburgh
Join us for a merry evening in Edinburgh with the screening of the film Prospettiva Olivetti. As Christmas is coming closer, we’ll also have mince pies and provide a short Scottish architectural introduction before this film, produced with support by Docomomo. The Olivetti company is probably best known for its typewriter and computer designs but has also commissioned amazing architectural projects, the best-known of which is probably the firm’s showroom in Venice, designed by the architect Carlo Scarpa.
Directed by Davide Maffei, this 2022 documentary examines the architectural legacy of the Olivetti company following the death of its founder Adriano Olivetti in 1960. The film highlights how the company’s unique culture and design approach persisted and expanded internationally through architectural projects commissioned from renowned global architects between the 1960s and 1980s.
The event will be in person only, at Edinburgh’s Quaker Meeting House, running from 7 to 9 p.m. The film will be about 1.5 hours and in English and Italian language with subtitles. The venue has barrier-free access by lift. Tickets cost £7 / concession £5 / Docomomo members £3 in advance. You can buy tickets at TicketTailor.
Image – Excerpt of the film poster for the documentary Prospettiva Olivetti, produced by AirPixel
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About Docomomo Scotland
We are Scotland’s national chapter of Docomomo International, the international committee for the documentation and conservation of modern buildings, sites and neighbourhoods.
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Docomomo Scotland is a membership organisation raising awareness about Scotland’s 20th-century historic environment and campaigning its conservation and documentation. You can join us from £10 per year easily online.
We are a registered charity, registered in Scotland (SC032552), and are run by an elected committee, based on our Constitution.