Simon Armitage Examines Brian Eno’s Oblique Strategies
Posted on June 26, 2013
Manchester Camerata musician Diane Clarke recently appeared alongside Simon Armitage on a BBC Radio 4 programme about Brian Eno’s Oblique Strategies.
A couple of months ago Manchester Camerata were thrilled to be asked by Tudor Rickards from Manchester Business School to take part in a radio programme about Brian Eno’s Oblique Strategies. What followed was a true collaborative journey of discovery, from transporting a double bass around the labyrinthine corridors and passageways of Manchester Business School to getting to the bottom of Brian Eno’s elusive cards.
What are the Oblique Strategies?
In the early 1970s, artists Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt created a series of cards to help inspire creative ways of working. The idea originally was to help artists find a way out of creative ‘black holes’ and each card contained a carefully worded quote designed to help the reader find new and unusual angles for their creations.
What is Simon Armitage’s programme about?
Simon Armitage explores the use of the Oblique Strategies in a half hour radio programme for BBC Radio 4. In addition to Manchester Camerata and Manchester Business School, Simon also spoke to other people working in creative industries, including the former guitarist for David Bowie, Carlos Alomar and chef Ian Knauer.
How could these help Manchester Business School and Manchester Camerata?
Manchester Business School were interested in whether the Oblique Strategies could be used as a tool to help solve everyday business problems for clients in a more creative way. They invited Manchester Camerata to help explore how best the cards could be used and Camerata’s double bass player Diane Clarke very kindly agreed to act as the client. You can hear the results of the collaboration on Simon’s half hour radio programme – listen again whilst you can!