Cybersentics Book Club
August 2026: Ghastly Marionettes
Have you ever wondered what would have happened if a government adopted principles of the "study of control and communication" as its operating logic? Would it result in a homogeneous crowd of optimized man-machines? Let's talk about this uncomfortable twist of cybernetics....
Cybersentics Book Club
Sunday, August 16, 2026
12:00 – 2:00 PM
Hybrid Event: In-Person and Online (Zoom Link included with RSVP)
All ages welcome. A high school reading level or above is recommended.
Hosted upstairs in the Gray Area Incubator, not wheelchair or mobility accessible.
View our FAQ page for more info, or contact us at [email protected] with any accommodation requests.
This Month's Reading:
Carr, D. J. Z. (2020). ‘Ghastly marionettes’ and the political metaphysics of cognitive liberalism: Anti-behaviourism, language, and the origins of totalitarianism. History of the Human Sciences, 33(1), 147-174.
This month, we turn to Danielle Carr's essay arguing that cognitivism's triumph over behaviorism as psychology's dominant theory of mind was driven by "cognitive liberalism," a strand of early Cold War political philosophy that placed human freedom in the spontaneous capacities of cognition and language.
Along the way, the piece traces how Hannah Arendt's account of totalitarianism framed it as a form of behaviorist control, linking Cold War anti-behaviorism to earlier Progressive-era critiques of industrial labor and to attacks on behaviorism circulating at the time.
About the Author
Danielle Carr
Danielle Carr is an Assistant Professor at the Institute for Society and Genetics at UCLA. Trained as an anthropologist and historian of neuroscience, her work brings together the critical study of the brain and mind sciences in the twentieth century with the history of politics. Her current book project is a political history of neural engineering in the twentieth century, focusing on the development of Deep Brain Stimulation for psychiatric disorders.
About the Cybersentics Book Club
Gray Area is pleased to host a new reading group, the Cybersentics Book Club that will explore the human sensorium through the lens of art and technology.
In the first cycle, Cybersentic's reading list will center key themes related to the bidirectional flow of information between bodies and the environment. The outward perspective examines biofeedback, while the inward perspective focuses on cyborg art.
This book club is a fit for artists, makers, researchers, scholars, engineers, and anyone curious about the integration of technology and art. Join us as we investigate how to enhance our sensory experiences, from biofeedback and sonification to embedding sensors that challenge our perceptions.
Our group's purpose is to cultivate a welcoming community that fosters knowledge-sharing and collaboration. Whether you're seeking to connect with potential collaborators, look for answers to pressing questions, gain critical insights, or engage in peer learning, this is the place for you!
Cybersentics is organized and led by Gray Area Research Fellow Anastasia Chernysheva as part of the Biofeedback Art|Research Network (BARN).
An open-access library that accompanies this book club can be accessed here.
About the Host
Anastasia Chernysheva
I’m a scholar and curator exploring topics of experimental music and biofeedback art. As a scholar, I gave invited lectures at the UCLA Department of Art (Art|Sci Center), UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, and presented at the NIME2024 Colloquium. As a curator, I produced many events —ranging from music performances to science talks — at the University of Illinois, Santa Monica College, and Bergamot Station Art Center that were supported through grants from the Center for Advanced Study (CAS) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Santa Monica Cultural Affairs. In 2024, I founded the Biofeedback Art|Research Network — an international community of artists, researchers, and scholars dedicated to exploring work related to biofeedback. Within about a year of the Network's existence, I organized seven events featuring its members, including symposia, screenings, performances, and workshops at the Lois Lambert Gallery (Los Angeles), Indexical (Santa Cruz), and Gray Area (San Francisco). Currently, I’m a Visiting Researcher at the UCLA Music Industry Program and a Research Fellow at Gray Area.
Become a Gray Area Member
As a Gray Area Member you get special access to events, behind-the-scenes content and more. Gray Area is a dedicated family of supporters who believe in the power of creative action to catalyze social transformation. Join as a member today to provide sustaining support for our globally unique arts, education, research, and incubation programs.
