original_query: What is the background of Brian Reffin Smith?
query: What is the background of Brian Reffin Smith?
answer: Brian Reffin Smith is an artist, writer, teacher, and musician born in Sudbury, Suffolk, UK in 1946. He studied metallurgy and metal physics at Brunel University and earned a master's degree at the Royal College of Art. He's taught in the UK and France, and was a professor at the École nationale supérieure d'art in Bourges.  He's also a pioneer of computer-based conceptual art and a prolific writer.