In one of the most interesting pairings worlds of the visual and musical arts in recent memory, designer H.R. Giger,
best known for the creature of "Alien" fame, has joined forces with Ibanez, the fretted-instrument maker for heavy metal band Korn, jazz guitarist George Benson and many others. On display at the "NAMM" musical instrument convention in Anaheim, CA in January were two different limited edition Ibanez guitars featuring bodies utilizing the designs of H.R. Giger.

"H.R. Giger's collaboration with Ibanez is a natural pairing when delving into the world of string instruments," commented H.R. Giger's agent Les Barany at the convention site. "Mr. Giger is an acknowledged fan of diverse musical styles and an accomplished jazz pianist and saxophone player in his own right. Giger's musical enthusiasm and his avant-garde approach to industrial and 'practical' design is right at home in the Ibanez camp." Bill Reim, president of Hoshino U.S.A. which distributes Ibanez in the United States, and who has contributed to many Ibanez designs himself, was extremely enthusiastic about the new partnership. "I was always a big fan of H.R. Giger's work, and I was infl uenced during my years in art school by his designs for album covers for Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Deborah Harry and others. I had always wanted to use H.R. Giger's designs for some of our displays, so when the chance came to actually utilize his graphic designs for our guitars, we were more than ready to do so."

About H.R. Giger

H. R. Giger is recognized as one of the world's foremost artists of Fantastic Realism. Born in 1940 to a chemist's family in Chur, Switzerland, he moved in 1962 to Zurich, where he studied architecture and industrial design at the School of Applied Arts. By 1964 he was producing his first artworks, mostly ink drawings and oil paintings, resulting in his first solo exhibition in 1966, followed by the publication and world-wide distribution of his first poster edition in 1969. Shortly after, he discovered the airbrush and, along with it, his own unique freehand painting style, leading to the creation of many of his most well known works, the surrealistic Biomechanical dreamscapes, which formed the cornerstone of his fame. To date, 20 books have been published about Giger's art.

Giger's third and most famous book, Necronomicon, published in 1977, served as the visual inspiration for director Ridley Scott's film Alien, Giger's first film assignment, which earned him the 1980 Oscar for the Best Achievement in Visual Eff ects for his designs of the film's title character and its life cycle, plus the movie's otherworldly environment. Giger's other film works include "Poltergeist II", "Alien3" and "Species".