Discrit

Using The Trend Forecaster’s Handbook (2020) as our guide, Discrit co-founder Chris Fernald takes participants behind the curtain of one of contemporary culture’s most mysterious, misunderstood, and maligned professions: trend forecasting. 

Much like another popular predictive discipline—astrology—trend forecasting may, at first, appear wildly subjective and imprecise; however, the foundation of trend prediction is anything but, relying upon mathematical calculations and the careful collection and organization of empirical data. Indeed, trend forecasting provides us with a valuable, flexible methodology for deciphering the world around us and predicting its next movements, whether you’re looking to spot the next fashion trend or predict the influence of TikTok on contemporary art. 

Watch the full recording of this event here.

Event Timeline

12:00/12:05—12:45/1:00 — Lecture: We’ll learn how trend forecasting comprises a set of skills useful to any cultural worker who wants to hijack them for their own ends, from artists to curators to designers and more. We’ll discuss how to spot emerging trends from among the debris of everyday information, and we’ll study how to turn our hunches into thoughtful hypotheses and supportable foresight.

1:00 — 2:00 — Workshop/Group Discussion: In a series of prompts, we’ll collectively imagine the shape of art, fashion, the social, technology, and more one year from today.

Want to order The Trend Forecaster’s Handbook for $45 plus tax? Email Emma Blessing at emma@atlantacontemporary.org and we can order a copy to be shipped directly from our book distributor to your doorstep, with shipping starting at $3.