The Pharmacist's Prescription for Lip-Reading Puppets: Conversation with the Brothers Quay

School of Visual Arts (SVA) presents a conversation with stop-motion animators the Brothers Quay titled "The Pharmacist's Prescription for Lip-Reading Puppets" as part of the Art in the First Person lecture series. Moderated by SVA faculty member Thyrza Goodeve, the Quay Brothers will discuss their work in film and theater including their forthcoming feature SANATORIUM UNDER THE SIGN OF THE HOURGLASS. The event will take place on Thursday, April 2 at 6:30pm in the Visual Arts Theater (333 West 23 Street) and is free and open to the public. "The Pharmacist's Prescription for Lip-Reading Puppets" is co-presented by the BFA Fine Arts, BFA Visual and Critical Studies and MFA Art Criticism and Writing Departments at SVA. Visit www.sva.edu [1] for more information. American identical twins working in London, the Brothers Quay find their inspiration in Eastern European literature and classical music and art. Their work is distinguished by its dark humor and an uncanny feeling for color and texture. Masters of miniaturization, they turn their tiny sets into unforgettable worlds suggestive of long-repressed childhood dreams. According to THE NEW YORK TIMES, the primary work of the Quay Brothers "is the arcane and highly specialized art of puppet animation. Yet what they accomplish in the nightmarish shorts for which they are best known is closer to the medieval practice of alchemy than to any identifiable modern pursuit." Born in Pennsylvania in 1947, Stephen and Timothy Quay studied illustration in Philadelphia before attending the Royal College of Art in London. They began making animated shorts in the 1970s and are best known for their classic 1986 film STREET OF CROCODILES, which filmmaker Terry Gilliam selected as one of the ten best animated films of all time. Their recent work includes IN ABSENTIA, an award-winning collaboration with Karlheinz Stockhausen; four short films made in collaboration with composer Steve Martland for a live event at the Tate Modern in London; and THE PIANO TUNER OF EARTHQUAKES, their second full-length feature, which premiered at the Locarno Film Festival in 2005. The Brothers Quay have directed music videos for His Name is Alive, Michael Penn, Sparklehorse, 16 Horsepower, and Peter Gabriel (contributing to his celebrated "Sledgehammer" video), and have also directed commercials for, among others, MTV, Nikon, Murphy's beer and Slurpee. The Quay Brothers' work also includes set design for theater and opera, including their 1998 Tony-nominated work for the acclaimed Broadway revival of Ionesco's THE CHAIRS.