The Brothers Quay

Stephen and Timothy Quay are identical twins and were born in Pennsylvania. They moved to England in 1969 to study a the Royal College of Art in London.  The Quays are best known for the puppetry, animation and feature-length films but they are also known for their intense engagement within theatre and opera, working on stage designs, set and projections for productions and shows all over the world.
Before changing to a career in film they were both illustrators. They designed book covers and graphics for gothic, science fiction and fantasy novels whilst in Philadelphia. They often made creative suggestions to the authors and designed a cover based on their opinions.

They had a range of influences including animators, writers and composers. They have produced two feature-length sction films and most of their films have no spoken content, and rely heavily on their composed musical scores. Most of their films feature puppets made of a variety of materials, and were often created incomplete to create a dark and moody atmosphere. One example of this style of animation is 'Street of Crocodiles'.