Brian Piana: You Can Google That, You Know: An RGB and Sometimes Y Installation of Reference Books
Did you have a set of Encyclopedias in your house growing up? Would you have them now? How about a Dictionary? A book of recipes? This exhibition stems from Piana thinking about how little he has used printed reference books in recent years, and how the ones he actually has only take up space and collect dust. For better or worse, Google is his master librarian now. So in an attempt to give such books new life, he has repurposed a selection of found, donated, and purchased reference books for this installation and wrapped them in colored duct tape. The object-ness of books and larger collections of books on bookshelves provides a familiar - and perhaps comforting – visual. Even though the books' covers and spines are now concealed, visitors are encouraged to browse and flip through any of the books from the installation. All he asks is that the books be returned to the shelves before leaving Box 13 ArtSpace. He anticipates the initial composition of sequenced colors to change dramatically over the course of the exhibition as visitors remove, browse, and return the available volumes.
Brian Piana is a visual artist who largely uses the Internet as source material. He earned his MS in Visualization Sciences from Texas A&M University and his MFA in Photography/Digital Media from the University of Houston. Piana’s work has been exhibited in art spaces nationally, including at FotoFest, Lawndale Art Center in Houston, Maryland Institute College of Art, and on Rhizome.org. Piana lives in Houston and is a Professor in Art and Visual Communication at San Jacinto College. He is also co-director of SKYDIVE Art Space.