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It is worth the 15 minute walk from college to the RHA gallery, where Westmeath artist Mark Garry’s latest exhibition A New Quiet is on show. Garry, who works in a variety of mediums, continues on with his typical combinations of painting, print, photography, sculpture and installation, all connected by an underlying aspect or theme, or both. The pieces in the exhibition are in one sense interactive, as the viewer must move through the space to experience the full effect of each piece, following on from Garry’s usual interest in how humans navigate the world.

Upon entering into the exhibition space, one is confronted by a large, open room consisting of austerely decorated walls in white and unending floorboards dotted with various installation pieces in a number of different shapes and sizes. Nothing is labelled, which in turn stimulates the viewer’s intellect and imagination; what the theme of the exhibition is depends entirely on the individual themselves.

The breakdown of nature into its most basic forms and colours seems to be Garry’s inspiration in this case. Groups of prints depicting various colours of the spectrum line the walls, as do minimalist images of flowers and animals, or photographs of formless rocky landscapes. However, it is the installation pieces that prove to be the most striking in the exhibition.

Being Here, Garry’s meticulously crafted thread and bead pins installation, stretches across the vast exhibition space and over much of the artwork below. Here Garry plays with the relationship between movement and visibility whereby depending on where you stand, the piece dips in and out of sight. With its rainbow spectrum, Being Here appears as an indoor Aurora Borealis, connecting the exhibition through space and colour.

Indeed, Garry is incredibly interested in string as a material as seen in his single string violin installation, which one can play with the bow provided, its sound reminiscent of the drone of insects. Opposite the violin is a small scrub of flowers implanted in the floor which conceal the discarded antlers of a deer. To the right of the violin, Garry has created a multicolor mountain out of layers of different colored sand encased in a glass stand.

Mark Garry has once again accomplished creating a calming and intelligent set of work for anyone to enjoy. He has allowed the viewer gaze into their surroundings with a new set of eyes, and through that, grow to appreciate everything just a little more than they did before.

A New Quiet runs until February 22 at RHA, Ely Place.