The projects exhibited at alter. are selected through a screening process by its committee members. The committee members comprise a diverse range of professionals, including curators at world-renowned design and art institutions such as MoMA and the Centre Pompidou, as well as directors of cutting-edge design media and designers actively engaged in various fields. On this website, we will publish interviews with the committee members as part of disclosing alter.’s process.

The first committee member to be introduced will be Kristen de La Vallière, who launched “say hi to_ ,” an online media platform which looks at culture through the lens of architecture and design , in 2015. Additionally, Kristen is active as a creative consultant and curator, having conducted extensive interviews with Japanese designers while working to establish a transnational design community. Through this interview with Kristen, we explore the role that alter. should be fulfilled today.

Creating Environments to Support Creators

— Could you tell us about your current work and activities?

I work as a creative director, curator, and editor, primarily in the fields of design and architecture. I collaborate with various designers and brands on diverse projects, from concept development to visual production and brand strategy formulation.

In 2015, I also launched “say hi to_ Atlas,” a media platform focused on contemporary design, architecture, and craft. Through interviews and research, we map relationships between culture, geography, and aesthetics in design, eschewing trend news and lifestyle content. This serves as both a personal research endeavor and an open global archive.

— You’re involved in projects across a comprehensive spectrum.

Whether through residency programs, collaborations, or global campaigns, my practice centers on examining how things are perceived, framed, and understood. I’m particularly interested in works that are both visually sophisticated and intellectually rigorous, and in building systems that allow such works to transcend disciplines and expectations.

— What impression did you have when invited to join alter. as a committee member?

I’m deeply honored. When I previously visited Tokyo, I met members of the organizing team, and the projects each was pursuing struck me as truly admirable. Being approached by such accomplished individuals was genuinely gratifying. I also sense Tokyo’s design community gaining momentum, which feels like an inspiring moment to be involved.

I’ve been splitting my time between Tokyo and Paris for several years, and while both cities boast vibrant design communities, neither seems to offer adequate platforms or events for design. alter. feels both fresh and essential—not only globally but specifically for Japan—as a space that goes beyond showcasing projects outside traditional craft and industrial design, creating genuine economic and structural support systems for independent creators.

Two Critical Opportunities for Emerging Designers

— What challenges do you think the design industry and creators currently face?

One of the most significant challenges facing emerging designers and creators is the dual barrier of limited financial resources for realizing ideas and scarce platforms for presenting them. Take furniture design, for instance, it demands substantial investment in materials, tools, digital resources, and often skilled craftspeople’s expertise. For young designers, producing a single prototype can easily exceed a month’s living expenses.

Even when they successfully create products, the exhibition presents additional financial barriers. Existing platforms have reached saturation point, drowning in an ocean of products, making visibility for new work increasingly elusive. Both opportunities—creation and presentation—are critical.

Moreover, today’s designers and creators operate with increasing fluidity across disciplines. They resist easy categorization into traditional silos, such as “craft,” “art,” or “industrial design.” Yet, a tendency persists to force works into conventional frameworks, potentially diluting designers’ intentions or constraining audience reception. We urgently need spaces where work can exist authentically, retaining their intended forms without conforming to predetermined categories.

— What’s your impression of Japanese design and creativity?

Having traveled extensively throughout Japan, the environment where artisans dedicate themselves entirely to their craft, achieving extraordinary levels of mastery, is uniquely Japanese. This foundation of exceptional craftsmanship has historically enabled Japan to produce utterly fascinating creators. The philosophical approaches and fashion innovations of Yohji Yamamoto, Issey Miyake, and Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons exemplify this phenomenon perfectly.

Consider the Sodeisha ceramic movement that emerged in the 1940s—it boldly challenged conventional ceramics while pioneering entirely new forms of expression. Takashi Amano crafted the world’s most intricate and elegant aquascaping ecosystems. Kenya Hara redefined design itself as a mode of thinking through philosophical inquiry, fundamentally reimagining both the meaning of white in design and concepts of emptiness. Eiko Ishioka—one of my greatest personal inspirations—worked fluidly across graphic design, fashion, theater, and film. She didn’t merely cross disciplinary boundaries; she forged a distinctive visual language that could only emerge through such boundary-crossing.

— Are you interested in contemporary creators as well?

I recently encountered Open Reel Ensemble, sound artists who are mesmerizing. They transform vintage open-reel tape recorders into original instruments for live performance. Their work is both technically and conceptually extraordinary, truly remarkable from any global perspective.

These phenomena aren’t merely “trends,” but reflect creators’ profound engagement with ideas, experimentation, and media evolution. For me, the works themselves are only part of the fascination; it’s the underlying processes and wellsprings of inspiration that truly captivate me. This approach feels central to what makes Japanese creativity so compelling.

 

 

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Creators from Japan are also frequently featured on “say hi to_.”

Anticipating Unexpected Collaborations

— Are there movements, philosophies, or technologies that currently interest you? 

I’m perpetually drawn to the niche and particular, so speaking about broad movements feels challenging. What captivates me most, especially in our digital era, is design as a bridge between human experience and technology. I’m also fascinated by approaches that weave natural elements—flowing water, scent, tactile materials—into more nuanced, sensory approaches to wellness and healthcare.

Another area of deep personal interest is the relationship between function and spatial constraints. How design evolves within the compressed realities of urban living remains largely an underexplored territory, rich with untapped potential.

— What do you expect from alter. participants?

I’m hoping to witness unexpected collaborations that emerge when different philosophies, media, and disciplines collide, projects that explore truly interdisciplinary concepts and experimentation. I’m particularly curious about how designers’ practices might evolve through genuinely new forms of dialogue and collaboration.

The alter. platform has the potential to carve out spaces for practices that resist easy categorization within existing fields or commercial frameworks. By presenting new paradigms that capture design’s actual evolution—unbound by traditional constraints—it can nurture environments where authentic creative innovation flourishes.

— What does “function” mean to you in product design?

The concept of “function” is precisely what distinguishes design from art. Traditionally, good design is understood to have function at its core, thoroughly considered ergonomically and refined aesthetically.

However, I believe that beauty itself constitutes a form of function. Many objects can serve multiple purposes depending on user interaction and context. In my own home, I have pieces that serve as seating, surfaces, and occasionally as something more ceremonial or contemplative. Just as Japanese architecture demonstrates how spatial function can shift based on inhabitance patterns, design objects can be similarly fluid, adaptable, unfixed, and ultimately shaped by their context and users’ needs.

— How would you briefly define the essential qualities of “product design”?

When discussing product design within industrial design parameters, it must demonstrate durability, reproducibility, and core functionality. Its primary purpose is problem-solving rather than aesthetic expression.

— What three criteria will guide your evaluation of products and design? Please give us three keywords.

That’s a challenging question, because “product” feels tied to industrial design terminology, while “design” operates in far broader territories. Each demands different evaluative frameworks.

For products specifically, I would assess based on “durability,” “reproducibility,” and “functionality.” But when considering design in its expansive sense, I look for entirely different qualities: “craftsmanship,” “conceptual depth,” and “authenticity.” What I’m really listening for is the creator’s distinctive creative “voice”, something that emerges from genuine inquiry rather than trend-following.