The Oblique Strategies deck of cards by Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt offers advice to help you solve a dilemma or push through a creative block, and now the strategies are available on your iPhone for free. Download Oblique Strategies from the iTunes Store for your iPhone or iPod touch, and tap to. A tab replacement based on Oblique Strategies by Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt.
Contents. Origin and history In 1970, created 'The Thoughts Behind the Thoughts', a box containing 55 sentences letterpress printed onto disused prints that accumulated in his studio, which is still in the possession of Eno.
Eno, who had known Schmidt since the late 1960s, had been pursuing a similar project himself (which he had handwritten onto a number of bamboo cards and given the name 'Oblique Strategies' in 1974). There was a significant overlap between the two projects, and so, in late 1974, Schmidt and Eno combined them into a single pack of cards and offered them for general sale. The set went through three limited edition printings before Schmidt suddenly died in early 1980, after which the card decks became rather rare and expensive. Sixteen years later software pioneer convinced Eno to let him create a fourth edition as a Christmas gifts for his friends (not for sale, although they occasionally come up at auction). Eno's decision to revisit the cards and his collaboration with Norton in revising them is described in detail in his 1996 book. With public interest in the cards undiminished, in 2001 Eno once again produced a new set of Oblique Strategies cards. The number and content of the cards vary somewhat from edition to edition.
In May 2013 a limited edition of 500 boxes, in burgundy rather than black, was issued. The entire story of Oblique Strategies, with the content of all the cards, exhaustive history and commentary, is documented in a website widely acknowledged as the authoritative source, put together by musician and educator Gregory Alan Taylor. The text of Schmidt's 'The Thoughts Behind the Thoughts' was published by Mindmade Books in 2012. Design and use Each card contains a phrase or cryptic remark which can be used to break a deadlock or dilemma situation. Some are specific to music composition; others are more general.
Examples include:. Use an old idea.
State the problem in words as clearly as possible. Only one element of each kind.
What would your closest friend do?. What to increase?
What to reduce?. Are there sections?
Consider transitions. Try faking it!. Honour thy error as a hidden intention. Ask your body.
Work at a different speed. From the introduction to the 2001 edition: These cards evolved from separate observations of the principles underlying what we were doing. Sometimes they were recognised in retrospect (intellect catching up with intuition), sometimes they were identified as they were happening, sometimes they were formulated.
They can be used as a pack, or by drawing a single card from the shuffled pack when a dilemma occurs in a working situation. In this case the card is trusted even if its appropriateness is quite unclear. Cultural impact Many references to Oblique Strategies exist in popular culture, notably in the film, in which a character offers passers-by cards from a deck. Strategies mentioned include 'Honor thy error as a hidden intention', 'Look closely at the most embarrassing details and amplify', 'Not building a wall; making a brick', 'Repetition is a form of change', and one which came to be seen as a summary of the film's ethos (though it was not part of the official set of Oblique Strategies), 'Withdrawing in disgust is not the same thing as apathy.'
This line was quoted in the 1994 song ' by, who also mentioned Oblique Strategies in their 1998 song 'Diminished' from the album. The Oblique Strategies are also referenced in comic 1018, 'Oblique Angles', of popular web comic. Other musicians inspired by Oblique Strategies include the British band, said to have used the cards when recording their 2008 -produced album and French band, who used the cards when recording their 2009 album. German musician/composer has a similar navigation system, called Dave. In response to their song 'Brian Eno', from their album, has said they had a deck of Oblique Strategies in the studio, but they 'don't know if they used them correctly.' They were most famously used by Eno during the recording of 's (, ).
Stories suggest they were used during the recording of instrumentals on 'Heroes' such as ' and were used more extensively on Lodger (', ', 'Red Money'). They were used again on Bowie's 1995 album, which Eno was involved with as a writer, producer and musician. Carlos Alomar, who worked with Eno and Bowie on all these albums, was a fan on using the cards, later saying 'at the Center for Performing Arts at the Stevens Institute of Technology, where I teach, on the wall are Brian Eno’s Oblique Strategies cards. And when my students get a mental block, I immediately direct them to that wall.' Editions and variations Edition Year No. Cards Edition of Notes Original 1975 113 500 Individually numbered, and signed by Eno and Schmidt Second 1978 128 1,000 Available through Eno's record label at the time, Opal Records Third 1979 123 1,000 Advertised for sale in the Newsletter and elsewhere French 1979 128 unknown Alain D'Hooghe translator; produced in association with an exhibition 'More Than Nothing' by Schmidt & Eno at the in, February 1980 Japanese n.a. Sam broadcaster pro 2014. Although much-rumored to exist, no conclusive evidence has surfaced to confirm one was ever produced Fourth 1996 100 4,000 Produced by the family (with the blessing of Brian Eno) as Christmas gifts for his friends and colleagues (i.e.
Not for commercial sale). Unlike other editions, the cards feature translations into the five other most common languages (Mandarin Chinese, Hindi, Spanish, Russian and Arabic), include artwork (by ) on the cards, and come in a molded white plastic container. A handful of the cards are by new contributors (, Ritva Saarikko, and ). Fifth 2001 113 + 2 informational unlimited Currently still on sale Sixth 2013 106 + 2 informational 500 Limited Edition in Burgundy Case version 1995 unknown n.a.
By Cetacean Enterprises for software version 2013 unknown n.a. Includes all five versions of Oblique Strategies version 2010 110 n.a. Open-source plugin by David Wicks for the Processing creative coding environment. See also. References. Retrieved 2013-09-20. (July 7, 2014).
Retrieved 5 January 2018. Retrieved 2013-03-14. Emr, John (2010-03-09). Retrieved 2013-09-20. Retrieved 2013-09-20. The Criterion Collection. Retrieved 2013-09-20.
Questionable Content. Rock Cellar Magazine. 11 February 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2016. Retrieved 2013-09-20.
Eno Oblique Strategies Cards
Retrieved 2014-09-29. Retrieved 2013-09-20. personal collection. Retrieved 2013-09-20. Retrieved 2013-09-20.
Retrieved 2013-09-20. Retrieved 2013-09-20. Retrieved 2013-09-20. Retrieved 2013-09-20. Retrieved 2013-09-20. Retrieved 2013-09-20. Retrieved 2013-09-20.
External links. on 's BBC6 Radio show, November 8, 2010.