Approaching Abjection: The Design Space of Ridley Scott's Alien Part 1 Dissertation 2024 Caitríona Ryan University College Cork | Ireland At the time of its release Ridley Scott’s Alien (1979), was seen as an abomination to society while also being a pioneer of the science fiction horror genre. It is extremely successful in its application of horror to the silver screen. This was not done through using cheap jump scares but achieved through the application of internalised psychological horrors that we do not know exist. It is the horrors that live in our subconscious.It is the AbjectUsing a close reading of Julia Kristeva’s work on the abject and an analytical viewing of Alien, the architectural and design decisions that were made to create the abject within this film are reviewed. Two pivotal scenes are examined to understand the extent of the designed spatial abject within this film: The Derelict and The Chest BursterIn examining these scenes through analytical drawings, we can begin to understand how clever cinematography, set design and psychological theories were used to create a horrifically successful film.The exploration of how this film utilises the horror within the subconscious of its audience highlights the societal implications of the taught ideologies of Western society and the impact that these ideologies have on modern space. Caitríona Ryan Tutor(s) Kieran Cremin