KithKin Presents » play

Losing Your Marbles

Charlotte Moneypenny — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 18:00:31 +0000

The losing your marbles collection consists of champagne, wine and whiskey glass inspired by the way children interact, explore and discover the most mundane objects. Each glass contains the iconic childhood toy, the cats eye marble in the base.

By combining the marble with memorable and playful actions which encourage the user to explore the glasses on each use, considering the act of drinking more carefully, instilling a sense of occasion and enhancing the interaction between user and object creates an emotionally durable product which encourages a long empathetic partnership.

Mood Images

Will Gurley — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 22:03:20 +0000

1. Kalipso Steel Pan
a musical instrument / cooking pot similar to a Caribbean steel pan.

2. Curious Carpet
a rug that becomes a costume.

3. Eldwidge Castle
a playscape doorway similar to a dollhouse.

4. Spiral Slidecase
a spiral staircase with a slide.

5.Hand Rail
a new take on the handrail.

6.High Chair
a chair with built in stilts.

Limited Edition Designer Dolls

Olivia Lee — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 00:13:38 +0000

Limited Edition Designer Dolls is a playful look at the Design cognoscenti and a project that can be appreciated on many levels. From the fanatic to the critic, in its observation of the celebrity designer phenomenon, this project has attracted and repulsed many around the world for what has been viewed as either the ultimate act of adoration or heresy towards design. What do you think?

Music of the Spheres

Camilla Sundwall — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 23:54:11 +0000

Music of the Spheres is a range of kitchenware that aims to create a dining experience where you fully engage with your senses.

Objects with sound are used in traditional spiritual practice to create a specific state of mind; here the function is provided in a contemporary, everyday context.

Strike the rim of the bowl with the handle of the spoon to experience a clear, piercing tone and feel the vibrations of the sound. Pour some water into the glasses and hear the water vessel whistle. To make the glasses sing strike the rim of the glass with a finger.

This project examines the relationship between the inner and the outer worlds of the user, and how various intentions of using the objects have different effect on the brain.

Subversion in the Office

Hema Vyas — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 23:43:44 +0000

The workplace is structured through written and unwritten rules to create order and to control the behaviour within the space. This means rules are often broken due to the lack of freedom in the office.

These pens allow subversive play in the office by maintaining the visual language of the workspace. They are functional pens to write with but can also be used as a distraction from the job in hand. It really depends on the individual and the risk they want to take.

Flect: Magic Mirror

Will Gurley — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 22:50:28 +0000

When play meets style parents and children agree, Flect is the kind of mirror every growing family needs.

Frezenda Imagination Friendly Environments is a collection of objects that help integrate play for children into adult environments. Ordinary living room decor becomes an avenue for self-expression.

Beat Blinds

Will Gurley — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 22:46:19 +0000

Beat Blinds encourage children to embrace the world of music.

Frezenda Imagination Friendly Environments is a collection of objects that help integrate play for children into adult environments. Ordinary living room decor becomes an avenue for self-expression.

Androgynous Doll

Dan Chen — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 23:31:52 +0000

From a young age children are brought up on Barbie dolls wearing pink dresses and high heels, and Action Man in full army getup. Yet in todays society, the ‘boys wear blue and girls wear pink’ rule is lost in the past. With human rights, gay marriages and surgical technology advancing so fast the lines between the sexes continue to blur. Now body form and behaviour cannot clearly define a man or woman.

The Androgynous doll allows children to explore the combinations of genitalia, and so educates them that the reproductive organs do not define a persons gender any more, especially as they have the choice to chop and change.

No Robots Please!

Alan Outten — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 23:18:49 +0000

The children are immediately engaged by the visiting “mad scientist” and together we set-off on our journey to explore the future!

I introduce the class to my magical milk-making machine (based on an in
vitro mammary gland). The children’s responses range from sheer marvel to an unadulterated yuck! After debating the ethics of nanotechnology and genetic engineering I present a slideshow of present and future technologies. They feedback their approval through a traffic-light system of cards – green, yellow and red: For example, Priscilla, the genetically modified pig who wants to be eaten receives a mixed response – with some articulate arguments against the concept.

Nearing the end of our mission, I finally set the challenge: Design the future! The children are uninhibited in their pursuit of creative future designs – passionately conjuring up new visions such as nano-pets and the edible apple phone.

I leave with a sense that creativity and design are safe in the hands of the next generation!