Exhibition Visit – Cold War Scotland at National Museum of Scotland
A new exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland explores the critical role Scotland played throughout the Cold War, and Sophie King, our resident culture and heritage aficionado in Scotland, attended the launch event to get an early view as it opens to the public.
Protest rattle made from a laundry detergent bottle used on the Peace March Scotland 1982.
Centrally situated on Chambers Street in Edinburgh, the National Museum of Scotland offers a day out for all ages, its collections only enhanced by the quality of both free and paid for exhibitions behind its doors. As someone relatively new to living in Edinburgh, I’ve paid a few visits already, and being partnered with the museum enabled me to attend the launch of their latest free exhibition: Cold War Scotland.
At M·E·L Research, we partner with National Museums Scotland to deliver audience and visitor experience research across four of their sites, and to be able to attend the launch of one of their new exhibitions was an opportunity we couldn’t miss. Museum visits are such an experiential outing for those who attend, and to be able to contextualise the tracking and research work we’re doing through spending time at the museum ourselves, meeting curators and researchers and experiencing the exhibitions on offer is always an exciting prospect.
“Something that really struck me was the choice of quite a calming colour palette in the exhibition space. It’s not what I’d have expected, but cleverly gave a backdrop that enhanced the pieces on display, and juxtaposed a feeling of calmness with the tension of politcal strategy and military planning and unrest. It fed well into the whole flow of the gallery, guiding us through background, to strategy, to human experience and then rounded up with the physical remnants and places you can see in Scotland’s landscapes today. My personal favourite area was towards the close of the circular route of the exhibition, showcasing personal collections of memorabilia. Having moved past maps, model power stations and uniforms, you’re met by Soviet pins and badges, magazine covers and the badges of protesters. That personal, human touch is what museums deliver so well, to root everything into a reality we can relate to more easily. It was a well-considered layout and narrated a story spanning multiple decades in a thoughtful and engaging manner.”
Running until 26th July 2025, the exhibition examines the position of Scotland and its inhabitants throughout a forty-year period of unrest post-World War Two between the USA and Soviet Union. It’s an exhibition focused on stories, examining the benefits of Scotland’s geography for the Allies, protests and activism and the lasting legacy of the Cold War on Scotland’s landscapes and in the histories of its people. Featured in the exhibition are everything from uniforms to maps, protest badges to photography showing the bases, bunkers and power stations still visible today. There are also fascinating videos of some sharing their personal experiences of the time.
This exhibition in particular is a result of a collaborative project between National Museums Scotland and the University of Stirling. It explores the presentation of Cold War heritage and how museums can continue to tell these stories moving forwards. The wider project, Materialising the Cold War, is funded by a grant from the Arts and Humanities Research Council.
Cold War Scotland runs from 13th July 2024 – 26th January 2025, between 10am-5pm. It can be found in Special Exhibition Gallery 2, Level 3 at the National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF. It is free to attend.
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