A site specific arrangement, this installation by ceramist Caroline Earley relates to her interest in and application of systems theory. Founded in the 1940s and described on one website as a "transdisciplinary study of the abstract organization of phenomena," the diverse roots of systems theory variously include twentieth century mathematics, philosophy and biology.

Applying this theory to her art practice, Earley has recently been exploring the idea of "a closed, dysfunctional system using vessels reminiscent of scientific glass forms and their appendages." These colourful and purposeful looking objects have no practical use function, by the artist's own admission.

When taken as a whole the installation pulls the viewer closer, in consideration of the multiple appendages that populate these intriguing objects. Working at the periphery of the vessel as a traditional form, Earley describes these works as "reminiscent, but not quite like, common pottery forms."

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Caroline Earley is a New Zealand based contemporary ceramist who has exhibited nationally for a number of years. She holds an MFA in ceramics from the University of Wisconsin and currently lectures at the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology.