What is an anagram?

An anagram is a word or phrase made by rearranging the letters of another word or phrase. The phrase “Grotesque Tables II” is an anagram of the phrase “Oblique Strategies.”

What is Grotesque Tables II

Grotesque Tables II is a series of cards by Noah Wall. Anagrams of Brian Eno & Peter Schmidt's Oblique Strategies.

“Let the Oblique Strategies fissure into a million wonderful variants”
— Brian Eno on Grotesque Tables II

There are two editions in the series. The newest deck, Scores, was released Dec 1, 2017. Both are available for purchase here.

In the first edition, letters from the original Oblique Strategies deck are transposed into fifty new prompts. Be less critical more often becomes Be frictionless latecomer. Breathe more deeply becomes Elope by mere thread. Accretion becomes Notice arc.

Scores, the second edition in the series, includes fifty musical score cards. Transformation from strategy to score occurs by way of an anagramming process where letters which double as music notes (A, B, C, D, E, F, and G) are lifted from the original strategy text. After sequencing these notes, the remaining letters are arranged to form an accompanying word or phrase.

 
 
 
 

Brian Eno on Grotesque Tables II, Andrew Carnegie Lecture, Edinburgh College of Art

 
 
pink.gif
 
 

What is Oblique Strategies?

Oblique Strategies (Over One Hundred Worthwhile Dilemmas) is a deck of cards created by Brian Eno & Peter Schmidt and first published in 1975. Available here.

From intro to 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...”
— Brian Eno & Peter Schmidt

 
 

Shipping?

All Grotesque Tables II orders are shipped first class within 2 business days.

Are the decks available to stores for resale?

Email hello@grotesquetablesii.com for retail and wholesale inquiries.

Are the Oblique Strategies included in the same deck as Grotesque Tables II?

No. Oblique Strategies are available here.

Is there a Grotesque Tables I?

No. The phrase “Grotesque Tables II” is an anagram of the phrase “Oblique Strategies”. The two I's are part of this anagram.

What is GROSS?

GROSS is an ongoing showcase of things people are making and doing with Grotesque Tables II. View GROSS