KithKin Presents began in 2007 when its founders graduated from Central Saint Martins College of Art And Design. After their degree show, they realised that there was a lot of interesting work from young designers that wasn’t getting the attention or support it deserved. Since then, KithKin have built a unique brand of exhibition, selecting inspirational work and exporting it around the world to London, Tokyo, Birmingham and Milan.

They're essentially a creative cooperative that comprises young artists and designers working together for the creative freedom and greater good of the group. With over ten members, spanning three countries, the individuals bring together their unique tastes and knowledge, in an online virtual studio.

Recently they hit up The London Design Festival, commandeering a stand at Designers Block held in Earls Court, and amongst some very good work, we spotted this curious project by Oscar Lhermitte who is currently studying for his MA in Product Design at the RCA.

Its called 'Close Encounter' and is based around 'The RX227 Process' - a card game Lhermitte created that generates random objects without function, enabling the designer to dislocate himself from rationale thinking and create unknown objects. Instead of deciding of a function and creating an object to achieve this function (Form follows Function), he wanted to create unknown products and see how we could use them (Function follows form).

Since this unusual proces forces us to look at functions through forms, it was used to create a series of objects designed without any function, but with the purpose to fulfil an unpredicted need. At first they might appear useless, but the fact that they are present in time and space give them the opportunity to be used for something. It is up to the user to perceive or think of a function or not; if something is used as a seat, then it is a seat; if it's used as a bowl, then it is a bowl, and so on.

The object is here, it has a material, a shape, a colour, a weight. What can it achieve?