Cold War Scotland
Exploring Scotland’s critical position on the frontline of the Cold War, a new exhibition will tell the stories of the Scots at the centre of this global conflict.
About Cold War Scotland
| 13th Jul 2024 to 26th Jan 2025 | |
| Normal opening hours - see event website | |
|
National Museum of Scotland National Museum of Scotland Chambers Street, Edinburgh Old Town EH1 1JF |
|
| This is a free event | |
| Visit the event website here | |
Scotland’s unique geography and topography provided a useful base for Allied military preparations and research during the Cold War: a 40-year nuclear stand-off between the USA and the Soviet Union following the end of the Second World War.
Atomic power brought jobs and investment to some of the country’s most remote areas, as global tensions mounted the threat of attack or nuclear disaster became part of everyday life. Cold War Scotland will explore both the visible and invisible legacies of the war in Scotland.
Protest and activism:
The impact of the war still lingers in Scottish politics, culture and memory. Scots played an active role in the global conflict as soldiers, for example, within intelligence services and as part of voluntary civil defences. The exhibition will draw on Scotland’s rich history of Cold War-era protest and activism.
Firsthand accounts from this time include a young mother who decorated her daughter’s pram with Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) badges. A rattle made from an old laundry detergent bottle, stickered with the CND logo, was given to her baby during the Peace Marches of the early 1980s. The rattle will go on display in the exhibition.
Cold War legacy in Scotland:
The exhibition will also reveal the physical remains of the Cold War; the ruined bases, forgotten bunkers and decommissioned nuclear power stations still evident across the Scottish landscape.
Materialising the Cold War:
Cold War Scotland is an output of Materialising the Cold War, a collaborative research project between National Museums Scotland and the University of Stirling. The project explores how the Cold War heritage is represented and how museums can adapt to tell this story in future. Materialising the Cold War is funded by a major grant from the Arts and Humanities Research Council.
Where possible we will update our listings to notify of cancelled, postponed and rescheduled events, however we STRONGLY ADVISE that you check with the venue/organiser in the first instance for updates.
All information (whether in text or photographs) is supplied in good faith but should not be relied upon as being a statement of representation or fact.GOT AN EVENT TO SHARE? It's free to post your events on What's On Edinburgh, click here to find out more!
Want to be the first to hear about what's happening in Edinburgh? Just hit 'Like' on our Facebook page, join the What's On Scotland Facebook Group and 'Follow' on our Twitter account and you're all set!Sponsored Links
Other Events at National Museum of Scotland
Friday Friends
Our Friday Friends programme offers a welcoming space for visually impaired and D/deaf children and their families.
READ MORE
Curiosity Club
Leave your grown-ups at the door and jump into a Curiosity Club for these exciting, hands-on sessions for curious kids aged 7 – 11 at the National Museum of Scotland!
READ MORE
Scottish Ensemble: Concerts for a Summer’s Night
Join the Scottish Ensemble at the National Museum of Scotland for Concerts for a Summer's Night... a musical celebration of the summer solstice!
READ MORE
Summer Family Fun
Drop-in for some holiday fun and games at the National Museum of Scotland this summer.
READ MORE
Oedipus Rex
Experience Scottish Opera’s immersive staging of Igor Stravinsky’s opera in the unique setting of the National Museum of Scotland.
READ MORESponsored Links
Similar events you might like...
Exhibition ‘Windswept Land’
Windswept Land is an exhibition at Birch Tree Gallery by two female artist who work in different locations but share a passion for outdoors and nature.
READ MORE
Edinburgh Napier University Degree Show 2024
The Edinburgh Napier Degree Show is a week-long celebration of our students' talent as they present their final projects to friends, family, industry and the public.
READ MORE
Quiet: Charlene Scott & Roanne O’Donnell
This exhibition at Upright Gallery brings together two Scottish based artists, Charlene Scott and Roanne O'Donnell, whose works are calm, contemplative and understated.
READ MORE
Edinburgh Model Railway Exhibition
The Edinburgh and Lothians Miniature Railway Club is holding a Model Railway Exhibition at George Watsons College on 1st & 2nd June!
READ MORE
Emily Moore :: Fragmented Landscapes
&Gallery is delighted to welcome back Edinburgh-based artist, Emily Moore, for her second solo exhibition 'Fragmented Landscapes' showing from 1st June!
READ MORE
In remembrance of the Scottish Witch Hunts
The Weaving Creative Threads Event at the Scottish Storytelling Centre features an evocative blend of artists, storytellers, singers, and speakers gathering to remember Scotland's accused witches.
READ MORE
Exposed 24 Photography Exhibition
This exhibition at the Out of the Blue Drill Hall showcases the work of HND and BA students from Edinburgh College.
READ MORE
Head Injury Information Day
The Head Injury Information Day on 12th June is the only event of its kind in Scotland dedicated to improving the lives of brain injury survivors.
READ MORE
The Chippendale School of Furniture Graduate Exhibition
We are delighted to invite you to The Chippendale School of Furniture Graduate Exhibition 2024 & Fine Furniture Sale running from Thursday 13th – Saturday 15th June at Myreside Grange in Haddington!
READ MOREFind other events in Edinburgh
Sponsored Links