No is a two-channel video installation featuring a choir of Tunisian citizens inside an Anglican church, displayed on a screen measuring at least 300 cm x 170 cm on one side, and a close-up of a chanting mouth in real size on an opposing screen measuring 70 cm x 52 cm. The installation presents the asymmetrical conversation between a powerless crowd and the individual yet impersonal voice of authority. The work examines the rigorous visa process required for entry into the UK, drawing a parallel between these modern bureaucratic regulations and the Holy Inquisition, in which brutal judicial procedures presumed guilt without a fair hearing.
The inquiry is staged inside an Anglican church and performed as a litany, evoking the rituals of confession of faith or intercession. It highlights a contradiction between ancient rituals and the formal procedures of modern societies. While churchgoers are asked to confess to whom they pray and in what they believe, the UK Border Agency interrogates applicants about who they are not—a criminal, a terrorist, someone guilty of crimes ranging from traffic offenses to genocide. It is as though one were asked in church whether they had ever harbored bad thoughts, praised a demon, or allowed their dog to defile a graveyard. The words “inquiry” and “inquisition” appear linguistically and conceptually close, as do their meanings. However, while Holy Inquisitors sought affirmation in the form of a “Yes,” UK border agents seek denial in the form of a “No.”
They are not interested in who you are; they aim to confirm who you are not.
No also considers themes of immanence and transcendence, exploring how the scenario depicted in the film symbolizes a transition between the bureaucratic voice that governs physical borders and the supernatural boundary separating life from what may lie beyond.
As an audiovisual work, No plays with symbolism: the juxtaposition of liturgy and visa administration, the hope of salvation and the hope of economic opportunity. Inside the nave of a church, the questions on a visa application form evoke the imagery of boats carrying North African immigrants seeking passage to Europe. Both institutions—the church and the UK border control—act as gatekeepers between two realms: the Kingdom of Heaven and the United Kingdom. Both manage accessibility.
Many believe in a better life in the hereafter, just as many immigrants hope for a better future in Great Britain or Europe. Both groups are driven by aspirations toward something unknown.