Cybersentics Book Club
December 2025: Bio-Music
Participate in a fascinating new social reading group exploring biofeedback, cyborg theory, and the human sensorium.
Cybersentics Book Club
Meeting 2:
Saturday, December 20, 2025
12:00 – 2:00 PM
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.
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.
About the Author
Manford Eaton (1897-1977) remains a mysterious figure. He worked as a consultant for ORCUS (Operational Research Company, Universal Systems) in Kansas City, Missouri. His main work, "Bio-Music," was published by Dick Higgins's Something Else Press—an unusual fit, since Eaton had no connection to the avant-garde art scene. To say more, his views aligned with Cold War-era U.S. policy rather than challenging the militarized socio-economic order.
. . .join our book club to make a judgment of your own!
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