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Giger Diaries 7 and 8

From February to November 1978, Swiss artist H.R. Giger worked in the Shepperton Studios near London, where he created the figures and sets for the film "Alien" (1979), directed by Ridley Scott. The film was a major success, earning Giger an Oscar.

In the transcribed Alien Diaries, published here for the first time as a facsimile, Giger recorded his experience of working in the studios.

He wrote, sketched and took photographs with his Polaroid SX70. With brutal honesty, sarcasm and occasional despair, Giger described what it was like working for the film industry and how he struggled – be it the stinginess of producers or the sluggishness of his staff – to see his designs become reality.

The Alien Diaries (German transcription with an English translation) show a little-known personal side of Giger and offer an unusual, detailed glimpse into the making of a film classic through the eyes of a Swiss artist. The book contains almost completely unpublished material, including drawings, Polaroids showing the monster coming to life, and several still shots from the plentiful film material that Giger took in Shepperton. (Images and text: H.R. Giger and Edition Patrick Frey)

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SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR