iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Kevin P. Gilday @kevinpgilday.bsky.social · 25/10/2025

Despite this the station has a stylish aesthetic that hints at the glamour of European train travel, particularly in the pops of red and considered lighting throughout.

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Kevin P. Gilday @kevinpgilday.bsky.social · 25/10/2025

Building #18 is Hlavní Nádraží, Prague’s central train station. Originally opened in 1871, the station has undergone many additions and reconstructions - namely the art nouveau entrance added in 1909 (see my last photo) and the brutalist expansion of 1979.

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Kevin P. Gilday @kevinpgilday.bsky.social · 24/10/2025

Often held up as the gold standard of sídlišté thanks to its built-in amenities and empathetic design that places green space at the centre of resident’s everyday lives. I loved the livability and strong community spirit carried through its tree-lined boulevard of dense slabs.

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Kevin P. Gilday @kevinpgilday.bsky.social · 24/10/2025

Building #17 is Sídlišté Ďáblice, one of the city’s most prized housing estates. Completed in 1975 it was designed to house close to 30,000 residents across its range of blocks.

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Kevin P. Gilday @kevinpgilday.bsky.social · 17/10/2025

I love the metronome and the way it sits in the park at Letna overlooking the city, reminding us all that time is always ticking and nothing lasts forever. Apparently it was only supposed to be temporary but proved too costly to take back down. I’m glad it stayed.

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Kevin P. Gilday @kevinpgilday.bsky.social · 17/10/2025

Building #16 isn’t a building but a work of art, the iconic Prague metronome. ‘Time Machine’ to give it its official name was installed in 1991 and is a 75-foot tall functioning metronome. The kinetic artwork has become part of the city’s landscape.

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Kevin P. Gilday @kevinpgilday.bsky.social · 10/10/2025

I was really taken with how dark and mysterious the building looked for its purpose. It could have just as easily been a nightclub or government agency. The tiles and bannisters all hinted at a very unified aesthetic, typical of the time.

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Kevin P. Gilday @kevinpgilday.bsky.social · 10/10/2025

Building #15 is Folimanka Sports Complex. Completed in 1979, the hall is home to various sports clubs and classes - from amateur judo practitioners to USK Praha, the city’s pro basketball team.

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Kevin P. Gilday @kevinpgilday.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

Both buildings sit in the shadow of the hulking Strahov stadium giving the whole area a really alien feel. If this was closer to town it’d be overrun by tourists but its location is largely hidden from view at river level, keeping it a brutalist secret at the top of Petrin hill.

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Kevin P. Gilday @kevinpgilday.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

Building #14 is the Strahov Tunnel Control Room and Ventilation Tower. Technically three structures but all connected and unified in function. Both designed by Jiří Trnka, the control centre opened in the 80s and the ventilation tower joined in the 90s.

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Kevin P. Gilday @kevinpgilday.bsky.social · 07/10/2025

When I first visited in 2009 one of my abiding memories was the art design of the A Line stations with their futuristic mounds hinting at some misplaced utopian present. It’s been fun to try to capture the different designs across the stations.

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Kevin P. Gilday @kevinpgilday.bsky.social · 07/10/2025

Building #13 isn’t a building at all, it’s the iconic A Line of the Prague Metro. First opened in 1978 and last expended in 2015, it’s latitudinal spine connecting the city.

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Kevin P. Gilday @kevinpgilday.bsky.social · 07/10/2025

Would have loved to have seen the reaction at the time. Still feels transgressive to this day.

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Kevin P. Gilday @kevinpgilday.bsky.social · 27/09/2025

RIP Tony Harrison. V stands as one of the great poems of the modern canon.

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Kevin P. Gilday @kevinpgilday.bsky.social · 20/09/2025

The utopian nature of the concrete feels very at odds with the exclusive nature of the hotel which houses a few swish restaurants and bars inside also. Maybe it’s my inherent class scepticism but its refurbishment seems to have shored up its snooty reputation rather than extend a welcome.

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Kevin P. Gilday @kevinpgilday.bsky.social · 20/09/2025

Building #11 is Fairmont Golden Prague. Opened in 1974 the former Intercontinental hotel was the first international five star hotel in old Czechoslovakia. It reopened this year as the Fairmont Golden Prague after undergoing a major overhaul.

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Kevin P. Gilday @kevinpgilday.bsky.social · 17/09/2025

Somehow both dramatic and welcoming, I was struck by how suited it felt to its function. It seemed to be a place that centred the human aspect while still expressing itself through the varied materials and sculptural flourishes.

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Kevin P. Gilday @kevinpgilday.bsky.social · 17/09/2025

Building #10 is The Urology Clinic of the General University Hospital. Completed in 1976, it sits in the extended grounds of the hospital amongst buildings of a far more classical style and vintage.

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Kevin P. Gilday @kevinpgilday.bsky.social · 16/09/2025

It is also home to the ‘hall of shame’ where those caught with the incorrect ticket can plead their case and pay any fines accrued in person. A common occurrence for tourists if the google reviews for the building are to be believed.

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Kevin P. Gilday @kevinpgilday.bsky.social · 16/09/2025

Building #9 is the Central Dispatch Office of the Prague Public Transit Company. Completed in 1978, it is the control centre for Prague’s mammoth interlinking public transport system (imagine having one of those).

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Kevin P. Gilday @kevinpgilday.bsky.social · 15/09/2025

I especially loved the walkway to the entrance that creates a moat over the simple gardens which themselves house a concrete tulip sculpture which I think might have originally operated as a fountain.

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Kevin P. Gilday @kevinpgilday.bsky.social · 15/09/2025

Building #8 is Koospol / The Cube. Designed by Czech architects but completed in 1977 by an Austrian company (rare for the era) it is one of the most striking examples of pure brutalism in the city.

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Kevin P. Gilday @kevinpgilday.bsky.social · 14/09/2025

I was really taken with this one. The colours, yes, but also those curves and the little details in the concrete. Everything comes together into a wonderful building that feels like it stands out or blends in depending on how much attention you give it.

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Kevin P. Gilday @kevinpgilday.bsky.social · 14/09/2025

Building #7 is the wonderful Teplotechna Building. Completed in 1984, it hosted the admin offices of the Teplotechna company and is now mixed use - including a lovely Italian on the ground floor where I had lunch.

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Kevin P. Gilday @kevinpgilday.bsky.social · 11/09/2025

I adore seeing the tower from different vantage points around town but like all celebrities it was a wee bit awkward up close - a weird tourist attraction that had seen better days. I still loved the view from the top of course, even if it left me a little existential (what doesn’t?).

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Kevin P. Gilday @kevinpgilday.bsky.social · 11/09/2025

Building #6 is the iconic Žižkov TV Tower. A divisive figure standing imperious over the city, the tower was completed in 1992 and is 709 feet high. David Černý‘s baby sculptures were added later in 2000, a creepy addendum apparently beloved by the locals.

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Kevin P. Gilday @kevinpgilday.bsky.social · 10/09/2025

I was more impressed by the sheer size of it. A proper brutalist slab held up at the front by four concrete legs welcoming you in. Its side profile, a perfect mirror reflecting back the city. I also loved the personality of the concrete, grainy and textured.

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Kevin P. Gilday @kevinpgilday.bsky.social · 10/09/2025

Building #5 is Mama Shelter, formerly the Park Hotel. The first luxury communist-era accommodation in the city when it opened in 1967, the hotel has undergone a significant rebrand and become a cool, ‘offbeat’ lifestyle abode with lots of clashing patterns and arcade machines.

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Kevin P. Gilday @kevinpgilday.bsky.social · 06/09/2025

I was really surprised by the heft of it, such an uncompromising building with a really powerful design that impresses beyond the novelty factor.

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Kevin P. Gilday @kevinpgilday.bsky.social · 06/09/2025

Building #4 is the Hotel Pyramida, a building that opened in 1987 as the central recreation house of the revolutionary trade movement - a communist era retreat for union officials.

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Kevin P. Gilday @kevinpgilday.bsky.social · 05/09/2025

The building is a triplet of cubic structures linked by a central atrium. Each one standing tall but linked to the centre, a wee bit like being a human being ❤️ I especially loved the perilous overhangs that gave the impression that the cubes might topple over like concrete mushrooms.

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Kevin P. Gilday @kevinpgilday.bsky.social · 05/09/2025

Building #3 is CAMP (Centrum architektury a městského plánování). This is the third building in a row I’ve visited by Karel Prager - the godfather of Czech brutalism - and he found his way into my words as I sat writing in the courtyard.

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Kevin P. Gilday @kevinpgilday.bsky.social · 03/09/2025

Its form and function mesh perfectly though, it feels like a building with a secret (and gold) nestled in its depths.

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Kevin P. Gilday @kevinpgilday.bsky.social · 03/09/2025

Building #2 is the former state bank of Czechoslovakia. The tiles really reminded me of Cumbernauld town centre! I can see why it’s divisive in the neighbourhood as its building was the start of a regeneration that never came, leaving it somewhat incongruous with its surroundings.

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Kevin P. Gilday @kevinpgilday.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

Building #1 was Národní divadlo Nová scéna, the national theatre new stage. Designed by Karel Prager and completed in 1983. I was really taken by the sheer mass of it. A big hulking building acting as a barrier for the fragile art taking place inside. A great start. #poetry #prague #brutalism

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Kevin P. Gilday @kevinpgilday.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

If you’re not a fan of architecture or poetry then this account won’t be for you over the next couple of months... I’m in Prague undertaking my UNESCO city of literature residency, creating new work inspired by the city’s brutalist buildings and their social history.

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Kevin P. Gilday @kevinpgilday.bsky.social · 30/08/2025

Tonight is the night. Mischief Makar at Eastwood Park Theatre, South Glasgow. Come join me for a night of poetry and comedy with special guest Ross McWhinnie. Final tickets are on sale now, link in the bio.

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Kevin P. Gilday @kevinpgilday.bsky.social · 25/08/2025

Very excited for Saturday’s show at Eastwood Park Theatre. It’s a big venue so I’d appreciate your help filling it up with some Southside culture seekers. Poetry, comedy and a good night out. I’ll see you there.

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Kevin P. Gilday @kevinpgilday.bsky.social · 23/08/2025

The promo never stops. Next Saturday I’m at Eastwood Park Theatre performing my show Mischief Makar. I’d love if you could join me for a night of poetry in a beautiful venue.

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Kevin P. Gilday @kevinpgilday.bsky.social · 19/08/2025

At the end of the month I'll be bringing Mischief Makar to Glasgow's deep south (Giffnock) for one night only at the Eastwood Park Theatre. This is your last chance to see this crowd pleasing mix of spoken word, theatre and comedy. Featuring support from the brilliant Ross McWhinnie. On sale now!

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Kevin P. Gilday @kevinpgilday.bsky.social · 12/08/2025

Mischief Makar is back for one last hurrah. End of the month at Eastwood Park Theatre. Check the usual place for info. Would be amazing to see some friendly faces in the crowd.

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Kevin P. Gilday @kevinpgilday.bsky.social · 11/08/2025

The original poems were created by children from Gaza and we had the pleasure of connecting with some of these talented young artists who are currently displaced in Cairo. Creativity and solidarity for everyone 🌘

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Kevin P. Gilday @kevinpgilday.bsky.social · 11/08/2025

I had such an amazing day facilitating a writing workshop for @handsupproject.bsky.social and Creative Stirling centred around the poems from the fantastic Moon Tell Me Truth exhibition 🌙

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Kevin P. Gilday @kevinpgilday.bsky.social · 31/07/2025

Edinburgh? Never heard of her. The final Mischief Makar show takes place at Eastwood Park Theatre in Glasgow’s leafy south side on the 30th Aug. The last chance to see this show’s deft combination of spoken word and comedy in action.

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Kevin P. Gilday @kevinpgilday.bsky.social · 25/07/2025

It contains some poems and words from me, a frankly incredible soundtrack from Luke Sutherland but most importantly it features an intergenerational cast of beyond talented dancers bringing the trials, tribulations and unbridled joy of modern masculinity to life.

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Kevin P. Gilday @kevinpgilday.bsky.social · 25/07/2025

It’s almost fringe time. I won’t be there in person this year but my words will! Wee Man by @barrowlandballet.bsky.social runs 5th-17th August at Assembly Dance Base. Tickets on sale now, some dates already sold out.

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Kevin P. Gilday @kevinpgilday.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

Buzzing to have my new play Gravity as part of the Autumn season at the iconic @playpiepint.bsky.social. It’s on Nov 10th-15th and I can’t wait to share it with you all.

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Reposted by Kevin P. Gilday

Scottish Poetry Library @byleaveswelive.bsky.social · 09/07/2025

#ScottishPoetryEvents MARGINALIA Tonight! Wed 9th July. 7pm Doors. 8pm Start The Stand, Glasgow 💥 Iona Lee 💥 Alan Bissett 💥 Christopher Macarthur-Boyd 💥 Carrie Marshall

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Kevin P. Gilday @kevinpgilday.bsky.social · 07/07/2025

We are mere days away from the return of Marginalia at The Stand. Scotland’s boutique cultural showcase, the perfect midweek night out. 🎟️ in the bio 👆

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Kevin P. Gilday @kevinpgilday.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

Marginalia is next week! Our beautiful boutique of culture comes alive again at The Stand on Wednesday night. Come join us for the perfect midweek night out.

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