A brief moment to breathe: In late October 2017, our second edition of Forecast closed with an enormously energetic Forecast Festival. “It was a huge success, and I’m a bit overwhelmed,” joked Forecast founder and artistic director Freo Majer, commenting on the project’s past year and especially the Festival itself. At the event, each of the six mentees presented his or her project—our usual format, as inspiring and eye-opening as always. But this time the variety of approaches and formats took on an especially experiential tenor. In some performances, the audience was so inspired and enthusiastic that people cheered or applauded in the middle of the presentation; in one event, viewers even stormed a stage at Berlin’s Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW) and danced jubilantly.
Forecast was conceptualized as a platform for pioneering innovation. This means unconventional thinking and boundary-pushing ideas from every discipline, but without disciplinary limitations, predefined formats, strict time structures, or age restrictions.
This year’s edition not only roused audiences but intrigued the various experts in attendance, especially those who had seen the projects—in areas from fashion design to dance—in their early phases. “It’s remarkable how much progress these projects can make in six months,” said Majer. Visitors were able to spatially and physically experience the mentees’ work, touch prototypes, and ask questions. From beginning to end, Forecast is a synergetic zone for mentors, mentees, and multipliers and a springboard for developing ideas and sending them out into the world.
It’s quiet now, but not for long. In a few days, the cycle starts all over again—we’re about to send a new open call, select a group of experienced mentors, and accompany more pioneering ideas from talents we don’t know yet but will be watching carefully in the years to come. See the future, and it will be.
[caption id="attachment_5868" align="aligncenter" width="640"]
Photos by Kerstin Schomburg[/caption]
