Followed by the screening of Institute Benjamenta
Identical twin brothers Stephen and Timothy Quay were born in Norristown, just outside Philadelphia. The brothers graduated in the late ‘60s from what is now The University of the Arts, Stephen with a degree in illustration and Timothy with one in film. They credit a Polish poster exhibition they saw on their first day at the then Philadelphia College of Art as opening up the world of eastern European art to them. The brothers eventually followed two of their heroes, Jan Lenica and Walerian Borowczyk, both Polish visual artists, in crossing over into animation.
The Quays moved to London to attend the Royal College of Art at the urging of a visiting professor. There they met Keith Griffiths, a fellow student who subsequently became their producer, a role he’s occupied to this day. Griffiths and the Quays established a film company, Atelier Koninck, (named after one of their favorite Belgian beers) and began to create one of the most unique bodies of film in the history of cinema. Some of their sublimely executed animated shorts include Street of Crocodiles (1986), Rehearsals for Extinct Anatomies (1987), The Comb (From the Museums of Sleep) (1990), In Absentia (2000) and Phantom Museums (2003). The Quays have made two feature-length films, Institute Benjamenta (1995) and The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes (2005).
Brothers Quay films resemble sumptuous, little Chinese boxes that the viewer can interact with again and again. Each viewing reveals new insights and connections.
The Quays have also directed stunning music videos (for Peter Gabriel, Michael Penn, Tom Waits and Pere Ubu) and clever commercials (from Slurpee, Nikon and Kelloggs to Partnership for a Drug Free America).
The Quays’ recent work may have passed below the radar of an American audience, primarily focused as it is on direction and designs for theater, opera and ballet. One of their most recent projects, Eurydice - She, So Beloved (2007), combines film, opera, dance, sculpture and painting to create an utterly unique experience. The Brothers Quay are currently working on an adaptation of Stanislaw Lem’s The Mask.
- Ed Waisnis
Reception with special guests Stephen and Timothy Quay
April 3, 5:00pm–8:00pm • Rosenwald-Wolf Gallery (Anderson Hall)
Free and open to the public
Eleven original sets (décors) from puppet animation films by the Quay Brothers - Stephen ’69 (Film) and Timothy ’69 (Illustration). The Quay Brothers emigrated to the United Kingdom following graduation from the Philadelphia College of Art and continued their studies at the Royal College of Art in London. Subsequently, they built a career making dark and moody films, often based on or influenced by Eastern European film, literature and music. The exhibition is the first time the décors will be shown in North America.
