Chatting with Martin Berteloodt and Tristan Allaire from the Brouillard Collective

Tristan Allaire:
 Hello everyone, my name is Tristan Allaire.

Martin Berteloodt:
 And I’m Martin Berteloodt.
 Today, we're here to present the FARFRESNEL exhibition at Ultra Super New KURA Gallery in Shibuya, Tokyo.

Tristan:
 We’re a collective of five artists, and this exhibition is something we’ve all been working on in our spare time — outside our day jobs.
The first person I met from the team was you, Martin — that was 13 years ago. Then I met Alexandre Massonneau. He’s our concept artist and also handles all the 2D design and graphic work.
After that, I met Alt236 — a French YouTuber, filmmaker, writer, and composer.
And finally, there’s Carma Blandineau, a jewelry artist based in Paris.

Martin:
 Tristan and I actually met 13 years ago through Minecraft, but we didn’t meet in person until just two years ago, when Tristan came to Japan.
A friend of mine in Paris once said something funny but kind of true:
 "The first artwork a child creates is when they call their parents to look at their poop in the toilet for the first time."
 It sounds ridiculous, but it really captures that instinct to share something you’ve made with pride.

Tristan:
 The first game I ever made was actually in OpenOffice, using basic HTML links. It was a point-and-click adventure about exploring an island. Looking back, I’m really glad I stayed on this creative path.

Martin:
 One reaction we hear often — and that we love — is:
 "Wait, only five people made this?"
 It always feels great to be able to say, “Yes — just five of us.”
Rather than hoping people feel something specific, we’re more curious to see what they feel. This is more than just an exhibition — it’s also an experiment. We’re exploring what kind of emotional responses this experience can evoke.
We all worked really hard to make this a complete, immersive experience.
My main goal has always been to create emotion — something abstract, but tangible. And seeing how visitors react when they walk in… I feel like we’ve really achieved that.
All five of us already have new projects lined up. Personally, I want to continue exploring immersive and interactive installations.

Tristan:
 FARFRESNEL is still a passion project — something we’re doing in our free time — but having a dedicated space and being able to do this full-time, working with amazing artists, would be a dream.

Martin:
 We’re seeing a growing crossover between traditional and interactive art, especially here in Tokyo. Interaction is becoming a core element of how art is experienced.
Where do you see this going next? What do you think is the next step for interactive art?

Tristan:
 The exhibition is open until May 24th — so if you’re in Tokyo, come check it out!
Come try the game, explore the space — we’d love to see you there.