Aesthetics of Decay

The Author: Dylan Trigg is a research student at the University of Sussex, England, where he earned his M.A. in aesthetics. He completed his B.A. in philosophy at the University of London. He has published widely on aesthetics, continental philosophy, and space and place.

«‘Between sublimity and the dissolute, we discover the aesthetics of revulsion’, writes the philosopher Dylan Trigg in his recent book The Aesthetics of Decay (2006). Trigg is the latest in a venerable line of thinkers to turn his attention to decay in general and garbage in particular. His book's contention – that the ruin or remnant embodies a mode of ‘critical memory’ at odds with the sanctification of official monuments and sites of collective recall – may be argued at the level of contemporary cultural theory, but its terms and tone are actually ancient. There seems to be something in the study of ruins, rubbish, junk and trash that means its enthusiasts can't help reverting to awed lists of defunct artefacts. They may begin with more rigorous and abstract ambitions, but time and again it is the details of decay that fascinate its theorists.» (Brian Dillon, Frieze Magazine)«‘The Aesthetics of Decay’ challenges the common assumption that progress is rational. With analytical rigor and eloquence of argument, Dylan Trigg’s book takes the reader on a journey through metaphysics, psychoanalysis, aesthetics, ethics, theology, and music to suggest the opposite: that the modern ruin redefines progress by embodying decline. A remarkable display of erudition and creativity, and written in an engaging and accessible style, this book is an exceptional foray into intriguing subject matter.» (Sally Macarthur, Senior Lecturer in Musicology, University of Western Sydney; Author of ‘Feminist Aesthetics in Music’)