Animator Profile

The Brothers Quay

The Brothers Quay

Born 1947 Stephen and Timothy Quay are identical twins. They were born in Norristown, Pennsylvania. This town had an important European immigrant influx. This is one of the keys to their initial interest into European culture, especially Eastern European in particular. They studied together at the University of the Arts in Pennsylvania, USA then at the Royal College of Art in London. Today
Figure 01. The Brothers Quay

they are both professors of Animated Film at The European Graduate School.

Figure two shows the Quay brothers with one of their sets, this photograph was taking during the production of their film Street of Crocodiles. A story inspired by the Polish killed by a German Nazi officer named Bruno Schultz. This dark, strange animation brings objects to life in a creepy manner, screws twist in and out of objects as if having a spirit of their own.

Figure 02. Brothers Quay: Street of crocodiles set

Figure 04. Quay: Dormitorium

Figure 03. Quay: Street of Crocodiles

Figure 05. Quay: Rehearsals for Extinct Anatomies 01 Figure 06. Quay: Rehearsals for Extinct Anatomies 02

The Brothers Quay had so many influents behind their work. Indeed they began with the Polish animators Walerian Borowczyk (1923 - 2006) and Jan Lenica (1928 - 2001). They would then show their inspiration was grounded by the work of writers such as the famous Czech novelist Franz Kafka (1883 - 1924), the Swiss writer Robert Walser (1878 - 1956), the avant-gardes Belgian dramatist Michel de Ghelderode (1898 - 1962), the Russian and French animator Wladyslaw Starewicz (1882 - 1965). Moreover, Czech composers too such Leo Janek (1854 - 1928) as well as Zdenk Lika (1922 - 1983) would be a great source of inspiration for them. The same would be true with the Polish composer Leszek Jankowski (1956 - ) who would in fact write original musical scores for a good deal of their films. (Zielinski, 2012).

List of Illustrations
Figure 01. The Brothers Quay [Photograph] At: http:/ /s3.amazonaws.com/auteurs_production/ images/cast_member/11131/original.jpg Accessed on: 10.03.2012 Figure 02. Brothers Quay: Street of crocodiles set (1987) From: Street of Crocodiles Directed by: Stephen Quay, Timothy Quay [Film Still] UK. At: http:/ /img.artknowledgenews.com/ files2008a/QuayBros_Street_of_crocs.jpg Accessed on: 11.03.2012 Figure 03. Quay: Street of Crocodiles (1987) From: Street of Crocodiles. Directed by: Stephen Quay, Timothy Quay [Film Still] UK. At: http:/ /4.bp.blogspot.com/_6NsKPj5241M/ TQ7TgXNMNyI/AAAAAAAAALw/aNsMv5cllGs/s1600/quay.jpg Accessed on: 11.03.2012 Figure 04. Quay: Dormitorium (2009) From: Set Exhibition [Photograph] At: http:/ / www.sachsreport.com/brothers%20quay%20twisted%20dtop%20motion%20animation %20Dramolet.jpg Accessed on: 11.03.2012 Figure 05. Quay: Rehearsals for Extinct Anatomies 01 (1991) From: Rehearsals for Extinct Anatomies. Directed by: Stephen Quay, Timothy Quay [Film Still] UK. At: http:/ / shewalkssoftly.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/dscn1279.jpg?w=450&h=337 Accessed on: 11.03.2012 Figure 06. Quay: Rehearsals for Extinct Anatomies 02 (1991) From: Rehearsals for Extinct Anatomies. Directed by: Stephen Quay, Timothy Quay [Film Still] UK. At: http:/ / media.photobucket.com/image/the%20brothers%20quay/igallo/QuayBros3.jpg Accessed on: 11.03.2012

Bibliography
Siegfried, Zielinski (2012) Stephen and Timothy Quay Professors of Film. In: Egs.edu 2012 [Online] http:/ /www.egs.edu/faculty/stephen-timothy-quay/bibliography/ Accessed: 10.03.2012 Mazierska, Ewa (2010) Quay, Brothers (1947-) Biography. In: BFI Screenonline.org 2010 [Online] http:/ / www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/498256/ Accessed on: 10.03.2012 Stubbs, Phil (2012) Dreams: The Brothers Quay and The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes. In: Smart.co.uk 2012 [Online] http:/ / http:/ /www.smart.co.uk/dreams/quayptun.htm Accessed on: 10.03.2012