Brutal Glasgow, with Rachel Loughran and Natalie Tweedie
This week we explore Glasgow's love-hate relationship with brutalism and discuss our upcoming Brutal Glasgow exhibition with digital curator Rachel Loughran and Glasgow based illustrator Nebo Peklo (Natalie Tweedie), who’s work will be displayed in the interactive, multimedia exhibition.
The idea for the exhibition arose from Rachel's admiration of Natalie's drawings on Twitter, and united by their shared interest in brutalism they have come together to create Brutal Glasgow. They also discuss the significance of brutalism in Glasgow, touching on its artistic, social, and political aspects, and the debate over whether to demolish or restore such buildings
Rachel and Natalie emphasise the personal and emotional connections people have with these buildings, how they change over time, and their potential for renewal and hope.
Highlights:
- 00:00:00 - 00:00:03 Rachel Loughran starts by discussing the public's "knee jerk reaction" to Brutalist buildings, setting the tone for the episode.
- 00:19:42 - 00:19:43 Natalie Tweedie acknowledges the complexity of evaluating Brutalist architecture, saying, "That's such a huge question," indicating the depth of the discussion.
- 00:40:12- 00:40:15 The conversation touches on the need to "have a proper look" at Brutalism and the factors surrounding it, suggesting a deeper exploration of the topic.
- 01:00:07 - 01:00:09 There’s a personal reflection on exploring Glasgow, particularly the East End, highlighting how Brutalist architecture influences perceptions of different city areas.
- 01:19:21 - 01:19:24 The episode concludes with a mention of Glasgow Heritage, encapsulating the importance of the city’s architectural legacy and the podcast's role in preserving these discussions.
Key Moments
- Complexities of Brutalism - polarising views.
- The historical and cultural significance and value in preserving these buildings.
- How the architectural style of Brutalism connects to a broader understanding of Glasgow city's character and history.
- Focus on Glasgow Heritage, emphasising the significance of the city's architectural legacy
Learn more:
- Check out Natalie’s work on her website
- Follow Glasgow City Heritage Trust on social media: @GlasgowHeritage #IfGlasgowsWallsCouldTalk
- Produced by Inner Ear (innerear.co.uk) for Glasgow City Heritage Trust
- Sponsored by Tunnock's (tunnock.co.uk)
Creators and Guests
Host
Fay Young
Writer, blogger, editor. Love wild woodland gardens & city jungles, song & dance (also tweet poetry, food and politics) co-editor @sceptical_scot
Host
Niall Murphy
Niall Murphy, who is the Director of Glasgow City Heritage Trust, is a conservation architect and is heavily involved in heritage, conservation and community issues in Glasgow. Niall is also Chair of Govanhill Baths Building Preservation Trust and was previously chair of Pollokshields Heritage, Planning Convener for Pollokshields Community Council and a member of the Glasgow Urban Design Panel. Between 2016 – 2018 he was a member of the Development Management Working Group for the Scottish Government’s Planning Review. Niall regularly lectures or does walking tours on architecture, heritage and urban design issues. Niall has won the Glasgow Doors Open Day Excellence Award for Outstanding Talk (2023) and for Inspiring City Tour (2017), the Glasgow Doors Open Day Above and Beyond Award (2014), the Sir Robert Lorimer Award for Sketching (1996) and, in addition to nominations for Saltire Awards and GIA Awards was nominated for the Scottish Civic Trust’s My Place Award for Civic Champion in 2015.
Producer
Anny Deery
TV Producer. Retrained Massage Therapist @glasgowholistic. Live in Glasgow. Mother of a 8 yo + three year old.