Arkady Botborger, founder of PSNKY

COM.POST · 4/24/14 3:31pm

I recently stumbled over a so-called occult science, labeled as Photosonicneurokinaesthography (PSNKY). Basically it deals with influencing the mind with the help of a Neurokinaesthograph (NKG) which stimulates the user with sound and light in form of moving shapes in different colours. The NKG receives at the same time a feedback of the user's body signals.
The scientist Arkady Botborger started it all and had the chance for further studies in the Soviet Union under supervision by the KGB during the 50s. When the support for his work was discontinued, he moved to Norway were he experimented further with sensory deprivation.

In 2004, a couple of Australians who continued his work, gave a live presentation of a PSNKY device. They visited Botborger in Norway in 1979. To them, Botborger is "the most highly evolved human being"* they have met on their travels. Arkady Botborger disappeared (or died?) in 1981 and his legacy is kept alive under the project name Botborg by those Australians.

I find this interesting and it wouldn't surprise me if there is an overlap between the communities of both, Virtual Reality and PSNKY. It also intrigues me that, allegedly, it is possible to achieve meditation-smiliar results with the NKG. Furthermore, the Australian performance group Botborg presents its work as art and not as science which, I think, is a clever move to mantain some flexibility and make people more open to the concept of PSNKY.

Further information can be found on the Botborg website & on the Botborg Facebook page

Botborg - Biofeedback in Extended Simulation

Wilhelm Reich's conclusion about Arkady Botborger's work:

Wilhelm Reich wrote:

Arkady is a quite remarkable young man. One day, his ideas will be properly understood, but this day is long off, and a civilisation which can accept and integrate these ideas will be unrecognisable to most of us today.
Source: "The Surviving Letters of Wilhelm Reich"; Radical Minds Publishing, Paris, 1984

Last edited by COM.POST (9/08/14 11:01am)

Sponsored Links · 4/24/14 3:31pm

tonehog · 4/24/14 7:42pm

COM.POST wrote:

had the chance for further studies in the Soviet Union under supervision by the KGB during the 50s. When the support for his work was discontinued, he moved to Norway were he experimented further with sensory deprivation.

Russian electronic equivalent of MKULTRA. We all know that wasn't a dangerous program at all. Completely harmless, in fact.

Stormtrooper of Death · 4/24/14 8:27pm

In the Netherlands, a friend of me had a BrainMachine, that was glasses (bril) on your eyes with shift paterns, and a headset with coresponding sounds. A bit Goa... To relax. The paterns were just 6 or 8 leds in a cross (x) that did light up, color red. i used it several times, and i felt relaxed by it. It did influence my brainpatterns.

Stormtrooper of Death · 4/24/14 8:28pm

I can try to get you in contact with my friend. If you want more information. But he is (like me) a bit paranoid.

COM.POST · 4/26/14 9:56am

Thanks for the offer, Stormtrooper! I may take you up on that later.

Yesterday, I attended a Botborg presentation and it was a blast! The first minutes were kind of boring. Then it steadily accelerated straight to the threshold towards pain. Nobody was connected to the device, though.

Last edited by COM.POST (4/26/14 1:35pm)

Antares · 4/27/14 9:35pm

Is this supposed to have a positive effect on people? I mean, I'm open to everything, but it feels kind of unpleasant to me. Even a bit scary.

COM.POST · 4/28/14 6:34am

Well, yes it should have an effect on people, if any. I have no long term experience with this. For me, it is merely fun to watch it and I've never been connected to such device, so far. As tonehog wrote, the experiments were harmless, so I think that it will change you but not in a way that can severely mess you up. Anyway, I imagine this to be a cool application for the Oculus Rift.

Last edited by COM.POST (4/28/14 6:53am)

COM.POST · 6/26/14 7:21am

From 27 June - 19 July 2014 in Melbourne, Australia @ Kings ARI:

Botborg event page on Facebook wrote:

Middle and Side Galleries @ Kings ARI
Curated By The Melbourne Video Art Society
BOTBORG: Principles of Photosonicneurokinaesthography
The pnkg is a system whereby light and sound are forced into a self-feeding interaction. Through transformative processes in which light becomes sound, and vice versa, the conditioned response of the viewer to separate information into its separate sensory streams is disrupted. Likewise, through the avoidance of linguistic constructs such as representationalism, melody, and obvious causality in the flow of sound and image, the routing of information to language centres is also disrupted, forcing the brain to open new neural pathways in order to make sense of the information it is receiving.
Marcia Jane: Ribbon 1 & 2
Marcia Jane works with light, sound, pattern and frequency to make shimmering, slightly unstable assemblies.
27 June - 19 July 2014
Opening: Friday 27 June, 6 – 9pm

For further information and updates, please visit the event page on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/events/669992969746713/

iHME · 7/11/14 10:26am

COM.POST wrote:

... As tonehog wrote, the experiments were harmless, so I think that it will change you but not in a way that can severely mess you up. ....

Tonehog referred to the the thing being part of the soviet equivalent of CIA's MKULTRA program, which was anything but harmless.
The CIA folks destroyed most of the files pertaining to the program to escape prosecution.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_MKULTRA

Seems like your sarcasm detector is in a need of calibration.

COM.POST · 7/14/14 4:04am

Well...

...my answer was...

...a social experiment! :-p

Jokes aside, thanks for clearing this up, iHME. I was embarassingly ignorant of that. Seems like tracking for winking smileys isn't enough.

I hope that in the meantime no one fried her or his brain out with a PSNKY because of my comment.

Last edited by COM.POST (7/14/14 4:06am)

Cyberpunk Forums

#1 4/24/14 3:31pm

Arkady Botborger, founder of PSNKY

4/24/14 3:31pm

Re: Arkady Botborger, founder of PSNKY

#2 4/24/14 7:42pm

Re: Arkady Botborger, founder of PSNKY

#3 4/24/14 8:27pm

Re: Arkady Botborger, founder of PSNKY

#4 4/24/14 8:28pm

Re: Arkady Botborger, founder of PSNKY

#5 4/26/14 9:56am

Re: Arkady Botborger, founder of PSNKY

#6 4/27/14 9:35pm

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#7 4/28/14 6:34am

Re: Arkady Botborger, founder of PSNKY

#8 6/26/14 7:21am

Re: Arkady Botborger, founder of PSNKY

#9 7/11/14 10:26am

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#10 7/14/14 4:04am

Re: Arkady Botborger, founder of PSNKY

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