H R Giger Revealed (2010)

The life and work of the legendary master of the macabre

Featuring rare footage and interviews with the elusive artist and the Rock Gods he's worked with, this is a unique insight into the life and work of the Swiss Surrealist.

"The horror of his paintings is so beautifully presented, that it even loses its fright."

Whether it's Ridley Scott's award-winning Alien; the artwork for Debbie Harry's solo album; or the obscenity lawsuit that was the cover for the Dead Kennedys' Frankenchrist, we have all at one time or another been exposed to the dark and wonderfully twisted world of Swiss artist, Hans Ruedi Giger. His paintings reveal a bio-mechanical universe, in which machine and man, sex and the devil are interconnected everywhere. Amongst his fans he counts a great many Satanists. But as this visual feast of a documentary reveals, he's also earned a place amongst the most prominent of modern artists.

Initially his monochromatic canvasses depicting surreal, nightmarish dreamscapes (often displaying fetishistic, sexual imagery which have garnered him a large following in the gothic, occult and dark-burlesque scenes) were predominantly created by airbrush whereas later work has been created using markers, ink and pastel colours. His most distinctive stylistic innovation is that of a representation of human bodies and machines in a cold, interconnected relationship described as biomechanical. Often the result of visions he has had through the sleep disorder known as night-terrors, it is no wonder that film makers from the darker end of the spectrum (Alien, Dune, Poltergeist II, Species) have so often sought to collaborate with him when looking to achieve their vision.

The authors do not avoid the particular developmental periods of Giger's work, however, the main purpose was not to create the artist's biography. What they have achieved is an authentic perspective on the peculiar world of this ground breaking Swiss artist.