VK albums labeled “Statues I Have Found” contain user-submitted photographs of real statues (museums, parks, random sculptures), captioned as if discovered in the House. This gamifies perception—users “scan” the physical world for Piranesi-like objects. Simultaneously, meme culture flourishes: one popular meme format shows a character overwhelmed by tidal waves with the caption “Me trying to explain the Piranesi plot to someone” (playing on the novel’s deliberate narrative withholding).
The keyword also points to the historical figure behind the book's title. Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720–1778) was an Italian architect and engraver known for his Carceri d’invenzione (Imaginary Prisons). piranesi vk