HR Giger's Alien Life Cycle Hieroglyphs according to Giger's biographer Herbert M Hurka

 

 

 

 

 leading from 
Alien: Perspectives on HR Giger's Life Cycle Hieroglyphics tableau (work 384) (1978)

 

Alien life cyle tableau version 1, (1978) by HR Giger

Herbert M Hurka in his biography for HR Giger mentions that according to the film plot, what corresponds to the panel painting in terms of both composition and format is to be worked into a wall relief and inserted into the wreckage. 

It contains the narration of the alien attack on the extraterrestrial crew. 

Giger falls for combining ancient Egyptian with science fiction. 

From the top down, a triangle with the eye of God dominates the rest of what is depicted, a symbolism that superficially recalls a creation myth, but in reality documents the extinction of a species. 

Formally, the tableau is realized, quite film-like, in a picture story in which the metamorphoses of the alien can be read from top to bottom: 

a) The egg in which the facehugger lurks, 

b) An astronaut approaching the egg, 

c) The facehugger jumps into the astronaut's face and implements the seedling, 

d) The chestburster bursts out of the astronaut's ribcage. 

For the first time, Giger uses technical set pieces and machine parts as templates for the design of the edge of the picture. 

In contrast to his previous paintings, the task is to fill the edge of the picture with forms that have no immediate significance for the picture content, so that the stencil impressions function purely ornamentally.

 

1. Was sowohl von der Komposition als auch vom Format her einem Tafelbild entspricht, soll laut Filmhandlung zu einem Wandrelief ausgearbeitet und in das Wrack eingesetzt werden. Es beinhaltet die Narration des Alien-Überfalls auf die exterrestrische Besatzung. Giger verfällt darauf, Altägyptisches mit Science Fiction zu kombinieren. Von der Spitze herab dominiert ein Dreieck mit Gottesauge das übrige Dargestellte, eine Symbolik, die vordergründig an einen Schöpfungsmythos erinnert, in Wirklichkeit jedoch die Ausrottung einer Spezies dokumentiert. Formal umgesetzt wird das Tableau, ganz filmgemäß, in einer Bildergeschichte, in der von oben nach unten die Metamorphosen des Aliens abulesen sind: a) Das Ei, in dem der Facehugger lauert, b) ein Astronaut, der sich dem Ei nähert, c) der Facehugger springt dem Astronauten ins Gesicht und implementiert den Keimling, d) der Chestburster platzt aus dem Brustkorb des Astronauten. Für die Gestaltung des Bildrands verwendet Giger zum ersten Mal technische Versatzstücke und Maschinenteile als Schablonen. Im Unterschied zu seinen bisherigen Bildern stellt sich die Aufgabe, den Bildrand mit Formen zu füllen, denen keine unmittelbare Bedeutung für den Bildinhalt zukommt, so dass die Schablonenabdrücke rein ornamental funktionieren.  ( Source: HR Giger. Das Buch: Biografie. Kunst. by Herbert M Hurka)
2. Google translation: According to the film's plot, what corresponds to a panel painting both in terms of composition and format is to be worked out into a wall relief and inserted into the wreck. It contains the narration of the alien attack on the exterrestrial occupation. Giger decides to combine ancient Egyptian with science fiction. From the top, a triangle with the eye of God dominates the rest of the depicted, a symbolism that is superficially reminiscent of a creation myth, but in reality documents the extinction of a species. In terms of film, the tableau is formally implemented in a picture story in which the metamorphoses of the alien are read from top to bottom: a) The egg in which the face-hugger lurks, b) An astronaut who approaches the egg, c) the face hugger jumps the astronaut in the face and implements the seedling, d) the chest burst bursts out of the chest of the astronaut. For the design of the picture border, Giger uses technical set pieces and machine parts as templates for the first time. In contrast to his previous pictures, the task is to fill the edge of the picture with shapes that have no immediate significance for the picture content, so that the stencil prints work purely ornamentally. (Google translation) 
3. Translate.com translation: A panel representing both the composition and the format here, should be elaborated according to the story to a wall relief and inserted into the wreck.It contains the narration of the alien invasion of the extraterrestrial crew. Giger forfeited it to combine Egyptian with science fiction. From the top down dominates a triangle with God eye the rest represented, documented a symbolism, which superficially resembles a creation myth, however, in reality the extinction of a species. Formally implemented the Panel referred to in all film, in a picture story of the metamorphoses of the aliens are abulesen from top to bottom: a) the egg, in which lurks the Facehugger, b) an astronaut approaching the egg, c) the Facehugger jumping the astronauts in the face and implements the seedling, d) The Chestburster bursts from the chest of the astronauts.For the design of the edges of the image, Giger used pieces of technical and machine parts as templates for the first time.The task to fill the screen, where no immediate significance for the content of the image, so that the stencil p rints purely ornamental function with forms is in contrast to his previous pictures.   (wwww.transate.com translation)
4. DeepL translation: According to the film plot, what corresponds to a panel painting in terms of both composition and format is to be elaborated into a wall relief and inserted into the wreckage. It contains the narration of the alien attack on the extraterrestrial crew. Giger falls for combining ancient Egyptian with science fiction. From the top down, a triangle with the eye of God dominates the rest of what is depicted, a symbolism that superficially recalls a creation myth, but in reality documents the extinction of a species. Formally, the tableau is realized, quite film-like, in a picture story in which the metamorphoses of the alien can be read from top to bottom: a) the egg in which the facehugger lurks, b) an astronaut approaching the egg, c) the facehugger jumps into the astronaut's face and implements the seedling, d) the chestburster bursts out of the astronaut's ribcage. For the first time, Giger uses technical set pieces and machine parts as templates for the design of the edge of the picture. In contrast to his previous paintings, the task is to fill the edge of the picture with forms that have no immediate significance for the picture content, so that the stencil impressions function purely ornamentally.(Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator)