Conversation with Quay brothers

Conversation between Stephen and Timothy Quay, moderated by Joseph Wallace (filmmaker and winner of the ANIMARIO 2023 Best Short Film Award for Salvation Has No Name).

Leading exponents of stop motion animation, the Quay brothers present their latest film, Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass, at ANIMARIO. Taking this work as a starting point, they will unravel their creative processes and influences in an exclusive meeting with the public.

Stephen and Timothy Quay, born in the United States in 1947, are two of the most influential contemporary filmmakers. Their work, often animated and inspired by the hidden, minuscule and invisible, takes on a monumental dimension on screen. After training in art and design in Philadelphia and London, they founded the production company Koninck Studios in 1980.

Throughout their career, they have combined puppet animation with organic materials and a unique atmosphere, their works being an amalgam of visual art, experimental music and ambiguous narratives. Their style, deeply influenced by Central European literature, music and art, has been acclaimed at international festivals. In addition, their work in theater and opera has cemented their reputation as multidisciplinary artists. In 2012, New York's MoMA dedicated a major retrospective exhibition to the Quay brothers. In Madrid and Barcelona, their work was collected at the CCCB and at La Casa Encendida, in the exhibition Metamorphosis, fantastic visions of Starewitch, Švankmajer and the Quay Brothers. Christopher Nolan has shown their 35mm films in the USA, produced the animated short The Doll's Breath and directed, filmed and edited himself the documentary Quay (2015), which could be seen in ANIMARIO 2020.