The work, by the British multi-genre artist L. Robinson, was installed on the walkway in the Presidential (Grasalkovič) Garden as part of the fifth annual Sculpture and Object festival in 2000. It is formed of iron with a patina finish. The sculpture resembles a small house with a sloping roof, but without windows or doors. Welded from iron plates, the small house stands on simple, fixed wheels. A tall pointed mast, spiralled in the middle, rises from its roof. 

Within his work, Robinson often focuses on experimentation and the reinterpretation of ordinary things, on a certain detachment from meaning and a distancing from familiar everyday experience. His works reflect the uncertainty and unpredictability of the creative process, the outcome of which is a surprise for both the artist and the viewer. The title of the work, Still Day (Stillday), offers various possibilities for interpretation; it could be understood at face value, but also as a multi-layered reference to music and literature. 

After some period (the exact date is unknown), the iron sculpture Still Day was moved from the Presidential Garden to another location in the Old Town. It thereby met a similar fate to Betty Gold’s Tiron IV and several other works that had become part of the Presidential Garden during previous Sculpture and Object events. The reason provided for removing these works was their supposed incompatibility with the garden’s restoration to its original Baroque style. This justification is not valid, however, because even after "re-Baroque" restoration of the garden — which is a national cultural monument — it still contains newer, non-original works of art.  

Still Day was subsequently installed on an unkempt lawn near Žižkova Street, where it remains somewhat overlooked, drawing little attention from passersby. Nonetheless, this new setting does not detract from the work’s impact; on the contrary, in this different context it once again offers passersby a sense of surprise, uncertainty, and a place to pause within an unexpected urban interspace – a vast grassy area that contrasts with the massive structures of the nearby development.   

ZD  

Research status as of 30. 04. 2024.