Aesthetics of the everyday / Aesthetics of the mundane

Abstract

The thesis inquires on the aesthetics of everyday life. It explores the topic from several angles. From one end I try to uncover what constitutes the everyday and how can we recognise aesthetic experiences in the daily. From here on I look into the workings of the aesthetic experience and the role of the spectator. To bring forward some key concepts I use a case study — a short essay from Aldous Huxley. This theoretical part is supported with an exploration of my previous work and empirical examples of possible aesthetics of the everyday.

The core of the theoretical reasoning is built upon linguistics, reception aesthetics and Dewey’s notion of the aesthetic experience. To construct my own view of the aesthetics of the everyday I employ the fore mentioned theories and take some of the key views alongside the idea of is-ness, a term strongly tied to awareness, rehash them and infuse them with my own ideas.

Besides this pragmatic portion of the work, the thesis explores the subject from a more poetic point of view. The examples of possible aesthetic experiences in the everyday offer a more subtle view on the topic. The research is further explored through imagery that constitutes another integral part of my practice.

Volume I, which is comprised by word based research it is extended in Volume II, a photo book of images that are either part of my research material or actual examples of the aesthetics of the everyday. Volume III which cannot be contained in a book format should be developed as an exhibition and conclude this part of the research into the aesthetic of the everyday. This last volume is yet to be realised.