Affect, Intimacy and Ecology of Mind in Neurofeedback Art

This book charts the history of neurofeedback art from the mid-1960s to the present. It examines how artists have paired electroencephalography (EEG) brainwave readings with fluctuating sounds, lights, or images to reveal the embodied and relational nature of the mind.

This book charts the history of neurofeedback art from the mid-1960s to the present. It examines how artists have paired electroencephalography (EEG) brainwave readings with fluctuating sounds, lights, or images to reveal the embodied and relational nature of the mind. Offering a comprehensive exploration of performances and participatory installations based on neurofeedback technology, the volume investigates emotionally charged aesthetic scenarios which invite reflection on telepathic communication, body-mind balance, and the entanglement of material, social, and cultural factors shaping consciousness. The analysis uncovers the porosity and malleability of our nervous systems while drawing critical attention to questions of individual agency over brainwave rhythms in an age of cognitive optimization and commodified brain data. By examining these artworks, readers gain insight into the need for an ecology of the embodied mind—one that accounts for interpersonal relations and balanced environments as essential conditions for improved mental states. Designed for an interdisciplinary audience, the work addresses art historians, artists, and curators focused on intersections between art, science, and technology, as well as philosophers of mind, cognitive scientists, and neurofeedback technology developers interested in the relationship between aesthetic experience, interpersonal awareness, and emotional states.