EVENT: “THE UNSEEN CINEMA OF HR GIGER” — May 2015, Memorial Day Weekend at the Museum of Arts and Design (NYC)

Coinciding with the recent Nameless Digest review of the documentary Dark Star: The World of H. R. Giger, a major cinematic event is happening at New York City’s Museum of Arts and Design (MAD): The Unseen Cinema of HR Giger, a film festival in three parts on FRIDAY, MAY 22nd and SATURDAY, MAY 23rd, 2015. This is a ticketed event open to the public.

**From the MAD page about the series**

“Few artists have made a larger impact on the fantastical visions of cinema as the Swiss surrealist HR Giger. Most famous for his Oscar-winning design of the titular monster and scenery of the Alien film series, HR Giger’s vast output included paintings, prints, and sculpture, as well as industrial and interior design. Over a forty-five year career, Giger collaborated with an array of directors and artists to produce a body of work that continues to influence generations.

Marking the one-year anniversary of his passing, the Museum of Arts and Design in NEW YORK CITY presents The Unseen Cinema of HR Giger. Partnering with the HR Giger Museum and the HR Giger Documentary Film Festival, this weekend-long event presents rare and never before seen films made by and about HR Giger.

Opening up Giger’s personal archive for the first time, these films reveal the behind-the-scenes practice of this singular artist. The Unseen Cinema of HR Giger gives a rare glimpse into the personality, process, and vision of his indelible impact.”

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**More information about the series and the event, including the venue and tickets**

The first evening of screenings will be introduced by Blondie’s DEBBIE HARRY and CHRIS STEIN. 

Deborah Harry of BLONDIE

Facebook EVENTS PAGE
https://www.facebook.com/events/1573207859610076/

TRAILER about the film festival
https://vimeo.com/124737581

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PROGRAM OVERVIEW
http://madmuseum.org/series/unseen-cinema-h-r-giger 

FIRST PROGRAM & TICKETS
http://madmuseum.org/events/collaborations-h-r-giger

SECOND PROGRAM & TICKETS
http://madmuseum.org/events/inside-hr-giger’s-sanctuaries

THIRD PROGRAM & TICKETS
http://madmuseum.org/events/behind-scenes-hr-giger’s-studio

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**IN-DEPTH PROGRAM DESCRIPTION**

*The Collaborations of HR Giger*

Friday, May 22, 2015 – 7:00 pm

Special introduction by Debbie Harry and Chris Stein.

A New Face of Debbie Harry
1982, Dir. FM Murer
33 min, Digital Projection

Documenting H. R. Giger’s collaboration with Debbie Harry and Chris Stein on album art and two music videos for the album Koo Koo.

Koo Koo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Tagtraum
1973, Dir. JJ Wittmer
27 min, Digital Projection
Documenting the meeting of three painters, H. R. Giger, C. Sandoz & W. Wegmueller, Tagtraum captures the psychedelic collision of three minds as they join forces on one giant canvas.

Swissmade 2069
1968, Dir. FM Murer
40 min, Digital Projection
A dystopian science fiction film, made from the perspective of an alien visitor, Swissmade 2069 considers various idiosyncratic personalities who inhabit the state-controlled Switzerland of 2069. Never before screened in the USA, this film is the debut of Giger’s prosthetic and costume design that would later become his trademark. Giger, himself, also makes a lengthy appearance.

*Inside HR Giger’s Sanctuaries*

Saturday, May 23, 2015 – 3:00 pm

Through the Eyes of H. R. Giger
2005, Dir. Florian Hollerl and Patrick Spanbauer
12 min, Digital Projection

Using his Passage Temple paintings as a framework, Swiss artist H. R. Giger reflects on death, fear, and his career as an artist in a deeply personal interview.

H. R. Giger’s Sanctuary
2007, Dir. Nick Brandestini and Steve Ellington
20 min, Digital Projection

Filmed at the H. R. Giger Museum and Giger Bar in Gruyeres, H. R. Giger’s Sanctuary features an interview and a museum tour with the master of the airbrush, the inventor of ‘biomechanics’, and the creator of the Academy Award-winning Alien.

H. R. Giger Revealed
2010, Dir. David N. Jahn
52 min, Digital Projection

Director David N. Jahn worked as an assistant at Giger’s atelier in Zürich starting in 2000. When he returned to Prague, he initiated the artist’s 2005 Prague exhibition and served as consultant to its organization. With H. R. Giger Revealed, Jahn documents a certain period of Giger’s work and life, filming at Giger’s studio in Zürich, and in Gruyéres ,where the H.R. Giger Museum and the Giger Bar are located. Jahn travels to Vienna, Paris, and New York, assembling an array of interviews with other personalities of the art and cultural world.

*Behind the Scenes of HR Giger’s Studio*

Saturday, May 23, 2015 – 5:00 pm

HeimKiller and High
1967, Dir. FM Murer
10 min, Digital Projection

Two shorts on Giger’s early work: the first features a jarring confrontation between a young Giger and his bleeding sculpture; the second is a moody slideshow of the elegantly morbid pen and ink work of Giger’s early career.

Giger’s Necronomicon
1975, Dir. JJ Wittmer
41 min, Digital Projection

An intimate glimpse into the life of H.R. Giger, featuring interviews with collectors, gallerists, family, and friends. Giger’s practice and private life are filmed as if seen through his own eyes, and narrated in his own words. The entire film is drenched in atmospheric synths, care of Brainticket’s Joel Vandroogenbroeck.

2nd Celebration of the Four
1977, Dir. JJ Wittmer
5 min, Digital Projection

Serving as a spell, this film documents Giger’s brush with the occult. A ritual pays homage to the four elements.

Giger’s Alien
1979, Dir. Mia Bonzanigo & JJ Wittmer
33 min, Digital Projection

A companion to Giger’s Necronomicon, Giger’s Alien documents Giger at the height of his career as he works on the set of Alien. Narrated by Giger himself, the film shows the artist’s perspective on working within the physical and aesthetic constraints of a major film production.

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**Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) address**

2 Columbus Circle
New York, NY 10019
info@madmuseum.org
212-299-7777
http://madmuseum.org/ 

The Unseen Cinema of HR Giger is an event curated by Leslie Barany & Zev Deans

Special Thanks to Jake Yuzna at the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) and Carmen Giger, Debbie Harry, Chris Stein, Jacqueline Castel and Madeline Quinn

Sculpture in front of H.R. Giger Museum, in Gruyères. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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• The Unseen Cinema of HR Giger, A New York City Festival of Films by and About Surrealist H.R. Giger