HR Giger's Biomechanical Landscape III "Trains" (work 418) (1979) references Radio Times 13th-19th March 1976 cover advertising "The Last Kingdom of the Kalash"

 

Leading from

Radio Times

 and 

Biomechanical Landscape III "Trains" (work 418) (1979) by HR Giger

 

 

a) Biomechanoid train ride through the Hindu Kush
On the 14th March 2017, I find an image of the Radio Times cover from 13-19 March 1976 at the Radio Times Collectors page on Facebook , showing some architecture of a village in the Hindu Kush advertising the TV series, "The Last Kingdom of the Kalash" which is associated with the valleys of the Hindu Kush.

I don't have much information about the program or the area so I can't be that specific.

I suddenly realised that because of what I've seen of Giger's familiarity with the Radio Times, this obviously would have been a photo that inspired him in some way and he would latched on the chance of possibly using it.

Looking through his images, I thought it might have been shortly after Alien because it was an image from a couple years before the production and if he encountered it then, he might want to do a painting relating to it when he had some time.

I then realised that Giger appeared to have used it as reference for his painting Biomechanical Landscape III "Trains" (work 418) (1979).

For this painting I was probably hoping to find a train station photo or painting instead but here I realise that could never be.

 

 

 

Cover photo from Radio Times 13th-19th March 1976,
Sourc: https://www.facebook.com/

 

b) Stretched across the biomechanic landscape
So the idea is that he's taken the different levels of the dwellings and liberally turned them into separate trains along a platform, shown from a different perspective, stretched across the landscape.

The fronts of these buildings with their wall, roofs and platforms sticking out of the front would be generally speaking turned on their sides and inside out into bulbous train like forms.

The planks sticking out would be transformed into strange ribbed forms.

Shadows would be transformed into strange deformed areas

There would be at least another source of reference to consider for this painting. 

(Still trying working on describing the transformation that went on here) 

 

Cover photo from Radio Times 13th-19th March 1976

 

 

Cover photo from Radio Times 13th-19th March 1976, and
Biomechanical Landscape III "Trains" (work 418) (1979)

Biomechanical Landscape III "Trains" (work 418) (1979)