The Aesthetics of Imperfection in Music and the Arts - by Andy Hamilton & Lara Pearson (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The aesthetics of imperfection emphasises spontaneity, disruption, process and energy over formal perfection and is often ignored by many commentators or seen only in improvisation. This comprehensive collection is the first time imperfection has been explored across all kinds of musical performance, whether improvisation or interpretation of compositions.

Covering music, visual art, dance, comedy, architecture and design, it addresses the meaning, experience, and value of improvisation and spontaneous creation across different artistic media. A distinctive feature of the volume is that it brings together contributions from theoreticians and practitioners, presenting a wider range of perspectives on the issues involved. Contributors look at performance and practice across Western and non-Western musical, artistic and craft forms. Composers and non-performing artists offer a perspective on what is 'imperfect' or improvisatory within their work, contributing further dimensions to the discourse.

The Aesthetics of Imperfection in Music and the Arts features 39 chapters organised into eight sections and written by a diverse group of scholars and performers. They consider divergent definitions of aesthetics, employing both 18th-century philosophy and more recent socially and historically situated conceptions making this an essential, up-to-date resource for anyone working on either side of the perfection-imperfection debate.

Review Quotes

"Failure, uncertainty, risk and imperfection are the topics that Hamilton and Pearson bring together, in a constellation of essays, interviews, music analysis and reflections by creative artists and writers. They show that if we embrace imperfection, we are celebrating the essence of human creativity. This book offers us solace that art will survive for as long as humans do." --Tania Caroline Chen, soundartist on piano, astro-electronics and ambient objects

"This lively collection of essays and interviews offers a fresh and vital addition to studies of creativity. The volume gives practitioners the space for insightful, probing, analytic and honest reflections on their practice. Strongly recommended as a model for further explorations into creativity, as well as for the rich and engaging provocations it contains." --Philip Thomas, Professor of Performance, Huddersfield University

"This book addresses very clearly some of the central artistic and musical questions that have defined my working life. The contributors help me ponder the issues of imperfection vs. perfection anew." --Gavin Bryars, composer

About the Author

Andy Hamilton teaches Philosophy at Durham University, UK.

Lara Pearson is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Germany.