More often than not, negative aesthetic qualities are justified only as a necessary means to facilitating an ultimately positive aesthetic experience

This account of everyday life as pervaded by negative aesthetic qualities rather than lacking any aesthetic qualities gives rise to ‘negative aesthetics.’ This notion may at first appear to be an oxymoron, if ‘aesthetics’ is understood in the usual honorific sense. Katya Mandoki and Arnold Berleant stress the importance of attending to this aesthetically negative aspect of people’s lives that is unfortunately all too common (Mandoki 2007; Berleant 2010, 2012). Negative aesthetic qualities such a