Cybersentics Book Club
Each month, participate in a fascinating new social reading group exploring biofeedback, cyborg theory, and the human sensorium.
Upcoming Book Club Meetings:
Past Book Club Meetings:
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. Starting from an external perspective, we will examine concepts of biofeedback; then, our focus will transition to an inward view as we investigate the legacy of 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!
PDF copies of readings will be distributed to registrants via e-mail. Space is limited to 30 participants. Cybersentics is organized and led by Gray Area Research Fellow Anastasia Chernysheva as part of the Biofeedback Art|Research Network (BARN).
Schedule:
Meeting 1:
Sunday, November 23, 2025
12 – 2PM
Meeting 2:
Saturday, December 20, 2025
12 – 2PM
Meeting 3:
Saturday, January 24, 2026
12 – 2PM
Reading List:
Meeting 1:
Lysen, F. (2022). Brainmedia: One hundred years of performing live brains, 1920– 2020. Bloomsbury Publishing USA.
Subsequent Meetings:
• Brown, B. B. (1974). New mind, new body: Bio-feedback: New directions for the mind. Harper & Row.
• Eaton, M. L. (1974). Bio-Music. Something Else Press.
• Kahn, D. (2013). Earth sound earth signal: Energies and earth magnitude in the arts. Univ of California Press.
• McCray, W. P. (2013). The visioneers: How a group of elite scientists pursued space colonies, nanotechnologies, and a limitless future. Princeton University Press.
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.
