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mark1982 Blog
Deconstruction - Influences of Giger
by mark1982 on Comments
Hans Rudy Giger, one of the most influential artists that uses the theory of deconstruction to portray his underlying emotions within his artwork. Giger’s first endeavor into the realm of visual media was a short black and white film called High and Heimkiller (1967). This eleven minute film was the first glimpse the world would have at this innovator of dark surrealism.
With the use of deconstruction, Giger has shown the underlying meaning of his artwork and expressed his emotions visually rather than through the use of words. The theory of deconstruction allows him to do so because of its complex nature and meaning behind the theory itself. It gives Giger the excuse to use visuals to express himself rather than explain it to people verbally.
The style of H.R. Giger has become very influential on a world wide scale based on his design aesthetics and how he incorporates his feelings and emotions within his work. Creative people see his work to be a sense of inspiration based upon his style, the dark tones, airbrush techniques and the overall image and subject matter by itself. The mood involved within his artwork has also inspired people to use the theory of deconstruction within their work as well to achieve the similar outcome as Giger when emotions and feelings are involved. An excerpt taken from (Cowen, 1991: book flap) states,
"A startling milestone on the darkly lit road once traveled by the likes of Bosch, Brueghel, Lovecraft, Poe and Kafka. Giger’s remarkable book of the dead gives us some of the most powerful images ever an artist drew from the well of imagination. Upon studying a Giger painting, one notices there is virtually no unused space. Every corner of the canvas is covered in detail. Agonizing detail. Such works require an almost masochistic devotion to one’s art. They are no-compromise attacks on white paper. To further examine a Giger work is to embark upon a journey, a trip into the dark, mysterious recesses of the subconscious. It is to visit the shadowed, musty corners where nightmares coalesce and shimmer to life. Through Giger’s haunting night vision we may see the wonder and integrity of what might otherwise be reviled. We learn to look more closely before turning away, as prior conditioning would demand. We learn not to judge so quickly, for the world abounds in paradox. We look at his paintings and see that there can be beauty in the ugly. There is a fine line between most opposites. Giger shows us just how fine that line can be."
Anima Mia (1980-81) This is an example of how Giger expresses emotions within his artwork.
The creative process that the theory of deconstruction is involved changes our perception to create new ideas when design is concerned. The development of an on-going developmental process is accessed to create new ground breaking ideas. However to achieve an understanding using the theory of deconstruction is no simple task, Giger has created a consistency of the mood and outcome of his artwork when dealing with different media, whether it be paintings, sculptures or architecture. They usually consist the same mood and visual language which is seen as a major contributor not only to the design world but also everything else in general. Giger’s work in architecture can best be seen at his bars located in Switzerland, New York and Japan. Even within his architectural buildings one finds himself in another realm of reality. It represents what the true meaning of emotions within a structural area by using the theory of deconstruction within the design aspects of the interior. (Pison, No. 23: 23)
"The interior of the otherworldly environment that is the H.R. Giger Museum Bar is a cavernous, skeletal structure covered by double arches of vertebrae that crisscross the vaulted ceiling of an ancient castle. The sensation of being in this extraordinary setting recalls the tale of Jonah and the whale, lending the feel of being literally in the belly of a fossilized, prehistoric beast, or that you have been transported into the remains of a mutated future civilization."
With that said, this supports the idea of Giger’s view on our intended outcome in the near future. The stated future civilization represents the evolution of man and the further development of how we become dependant on an outside source of our own abilities. We rely on certain mechanics to provide our lives with more comfort and a sense of stability when it comes to ways of making profit in our contemporary society. Giger envisions our future to be run by man and machine as one.
Space Jockey or Pilot in Cockpit (1978 ) Image shows how man and machine become one, this image was later used in the film Alien (1979).
Visual Literacy is an important factor that Giger relies on in order for his viewers to truly understand the meaning behind his work. Even though visual literacy is a key factor among all design elements, Giger takes visual literacy to the next level enabling his viewers to look beyond what is given and to conceptualize the actual outcome of the message. Giger’s images create a new type of visual storyline that falls in the term Biomechanics, with this style of artwork Giger is enabled to create a new platform of design using the theory of deconstruction. (Elison, 1990: book insert) states,
"Biomechanics. The dialect of man and machine. The wondrous synthesis born of one powerful imagination. Flesh and bone join magma and steel in synergistic ballet. Metal girders support and conduits nourish. Human forms grow fluid and metamorphic, evolving into a new realm, both disturbing and sublime."
The style that Giger portrays in his Biomechanics artwork shows the connectivity of human and machine leaving one to wonder how these can coexist in a living relationship. The underlying message of man a machine existing as one already resides today however it is taken for granted. Without specific types of machinery in a modern society chaos will strive since we are so dependant on machines to fulfill our wants and needs, without these types machinery our society will crumble. What Giger portrays in his art explains that we will become one with machine in the near future because we have become too dependant on it and need it survive the modern contemporary society that we live in. Within Giger’s book on Biomechanics the images show human coexisting with machine in the same source and structure of life.
H.R. Giger’s interpretation of how humans coexist with machine within our current society is different, how we use it to survive, how we are dependent on it. However the definition of Biomechanics involve the human muscular and nervous system and how the body functions through motion. Giger’s description differs by that in order to create or make certain movements an added supplement is needed to do so, and that’s where machinery takes a role in the development of mankind. Giger was so involved within his artwork that he believed his ideas were a reality of what we are underneath, the side we deny to portray ourselves within our surroundings because it wasn’t considered acceptable among the Western society. An excerpt taken from the book H.R. Giger’s Biomechanics, (Giger, 1991: insert) states,
"Since I have taken the path of art, it is a kind of LSD trip – with no return. I feel like a tight ropewalker; I see no difference between work and free time. Suddenly, I became aware that art is a vital activity that keeps me from falling into madness."
This was written by Giger himself and basically states that his artwork is his motivated drive in what keeps him going and proceeding throughout his life. His beliefs remain strong on what he is trying to portray amongst his viewers. Biomechanics is a reality to Giger and eventually will be taken more seriously rather than something just taken for granted.
A series of critiques on H.R. Giger’s artwork will be done to get a better understanding behind the theory and emotions behind his work. The type of styles as well as the type of mood Giger is trying to portray within his representations on the underlying meaning of life. How he views certain things and how it differentiates on how the common individual may view a certain subject matter. This is how Giger applies the theory of Deconstruction within his work by having a different perspective on things than what is presented to us on the surface. Through these critiques I will analyze how and what these images consists of through my research and investigations. What feelings are derived in each picture as well as how these images can related to our current society. These critiques will also consist personal feedback from my point of view and how I communicate with the image with the use of visual literacy.
Some of Giger’s artwork represents the future and how the architecture scene will become. How it will evolve from our modern society today to a more functional less problematic structure for easier transportation and communication. In Giger’s artwork NY City II (1980) one can see the transition of how our modern society has evolved into the next level of design architecture due to modernization. How our society has embraced the idea of the mechanic lifestyle where our lives have become overwhelmed with the mechanical state, and dependency of a foreign power in order to make our lives more suitable for the specific era. The painting NY City II (1980) relates to our current society architecture on buildings and transportation devices. It has a feeling of order and law enforcement, a modern society with a high level of stability and power. The idea of a utopia where man and machine co-exist as one.
Another example of Giger’s interpretation of the future when dealing with architecture can be seen in his painting entitled NY City XX (1981). This artwork shows the intricate levels of the transportation system and how it somewhat looks similar to our modern subway system. Giger’s version has a more technical and futuristic feel to it involving a skeletal structure making it more related to the term of Biomechanics. It makes one wonder what our future development will become whether or not our race will become too confident with the foreign aid of mechanics to help us proceed throughout our lives. Giger’s interpretation of our future may seem like a utopia however through Giger’s point of view, the more dependant we become to machinery the more we loose our cultural traditions and become less lifelike.
NY City II (1980) by H.R. Giger, depicts a possible outcome of our future.
NY City XX (1981) by H.R. Giger, resembles our future system of transportation.
The Spell (1973) in my perspective depicts a future civilization that consists of a flawless society. A society where our mind is interacting directly with machinery to perform certain tasks. Giger created The Spell (1973) based upon a collection of childhood nightmares, (Giger, 1991: pg.22-23),
"In the stairwell in my parents’ house in Chur is a secret window, which gave onto the interior of the Three Kings Hotel, and was always covered with a dingy brown curtain. In my dreams or nightly wanderings, this window was open and I saw gigantic bottomless shafts, bathed in pale yellow light. On the walls, steep and treacherous wooden stairways without banisters led down into the yawning abyss."
"...Another source of fantasies was our cellar. Approached via an old and musty spiral stone staircase, it led into a vaulted corridor (which had been walled up). In my dreams however, these passages were open and led into a monstrous labyrinth, where all kinds of dangers lay in wait for me."
The Spell (1973) was created through Giger’s nightmares and imagination from the concept of freethinking merged with surrealism. Words that come to mind when analyzing The Spell (1973) consists, prodigious, morbid, grotesque yet a feeling of discipline and order still remains within the image. In the center of the painting appears a slender female figure, indistinct yet captivating, trapped in a device that seems to be functioning as one with the figure. As if she is controlling the device to maintain stability within that area with the use of her mind.
There is a reason why Giger entitled a collection of his work The Necronomicon, as he explains, (Giger, 1991: pg.24)
"The Necronomicon ... supposedly tells of events which happened in the gray mists of pre-history, and contains illustrations of the sinister forms of life which lurk in the depths of the earth and the sea, waiting until the day when they will destroy humanity and assume dominion over the world. ...The famous writer H.P Lovecraft was the first to mention this work."
This description can also be applied to Giger’s Biomechanics collection of works by that machine will destroy and consume humanity and have full control over our race. Instead of events that have occurred during the pre-history era, Biomechanics is dealing with the future civilization of humanity and how machine will consume our modern society due to the lack of our proficiency.
The Spell I (1973) by H.R. Giger, shows the relationship between man and machine.
In conclusion the theory of deconstruction and its practice is applied largely throughout our contemporary society and is considered a valuable asset for easier communication through a series of analysis. With the understanding of deconstruction, Biomechanics through Giger’s point of view is easily understood and what he is trying to portray. Through my investigation and research of the practice of deconstruction it is noticeable that we use this theory on a daily basis to gain further knowledge of a specific subject matter. To do an in depth analysis to further understand a topic or an idea is a theory taken for granted due to the fact that we use the theory of deconstruction without even noticing it. However it can be applied to a more essential case study such as emotions which Giger is heavily influenced by in order to create certain artworks. Not only has Giger used emotions in artwork to express himself but it is a highly utilized tool when artists create a piece of work that has more than just one meaning. Emotions that are derived from his past experiences and childhood are the essential tool to create a certain piece of artwork with an emotional grab with the use of visual literacy. Visual literacy is an important aspect when dealing with artwork that consists of more than one meaning. An artwork with more than one meaning is like reading book, however using visual literacy to read the story behind the actual image that is presented by doing an analysis to further understand what the message is trying to portray. Through Giger’s artwork the idea of Biomechanics is understood to bring the human structure to the next level, allowing evolution to take place with the existing aid of machinery. The visuals presented in Giger’s artwork tell the story of how humankind is affected by its surroundings and what we take for granted. This is Giger’s idea of our future and if we keep relying on a machinery to complete our tasks we will become one with machine living in a cultureless society.
- Written by mark1982
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