Cybersentics Book Club
July 2026: Information Arts
Is everyone suddenly a creative technologist? Bring your confusion (or other emotions) with this vogue mega-identity, and let's look together at the landscape we had at the turn of the 21st century — before the breed of people who combine art and technology in their (re)search became defined. In this endeavor, we will rely on an encyclopedia of modern media art assembled by the late Bay Area theorist and artist Stephen Wilson.
Cybersentics Book Club
Sunday, July 19, 2026
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.
This Month's Reading:
Wilson, S. (2003). Information arts: intersections of art, science, and technology. MIT Press.
View PDF.
Selected sections: Chapter 1: 1.1, 1.2; Chapter 2: 2.1, 2.5; Chapter 7: 7.7
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
Stephen Wilson (1944–2011) was an artist, researcher, and professor whose work pioneered the intersection of conceptual art and emerging technologies. For over three decades, he directed the Conceptual/Information Arts program at San Francisco State University, where he mentored generations of artists working at the edges of science and culture. His landmark book Information Arts (MIT Press, 2003) remains a foundational survey of artists engaging with biology, physics, algorithms, and cognition. Wilson's own practice spanned interactive installations, net art, and research-based projects that questioned the cultural assumptions embedded in scientific inquiry.
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