Exploring the fallibility of memory, and the elusive role this plays in forming the myths that dictate our social relationships and perspectives, Naiant – meaning to swim horizontally – looks to a prominent and infamous creature, the crocodile, as a symbol for the illusory nature of time, perception and consciousness.

 

Hand-carved by the artist in wood before being sand-cast in aluminium, Naiant features 72 individual ‘scutes’ (plates on the crocodile’s back) that together emerge from the rooftop as if protruding from shallow water – a metallic creature blending into its industrial environment and the silver waterways of Richard Wentworth’s Agora that flow underneath, shimmering like a wet hide when exposed to the sun. 

 

Offering a commentary on the distortion, fabrication and transmission of memory – the tendencies of our minds to manipulate the memories that shape our realities, often to suit shifting perspectives or to camouflage ourselves within the myths that bind social groups – Collins responds to his elders’ recollection of encounters with crocodiles, describing the illusory way they disappear within the plant matter and debris of their environment. Often mistaken for floating logs and rocks by those exploring woodlands, mangroves and rivers, the crocodile here becomes a metaphor for the deceptive nature of memory, embodying themes of camouflage, survival and adaptability.

 

Much like how our memories degrade and fragment with time, the crocodile’s ancient form drifts into obscurity. Presented in a textured, symmetrical and systematic mosaic of tiles, Collins’ abstracted creature is a symbol for the ways in which distant memories, much like an episode of déjà vu, force us to attempt to define, rationalise and order fragments of an experience we may have never had.