Prem Sahib

Alleus

In recent decades, European populations have been confronted by the consequences of violent conflicts and climate change, which have created a substantial influx of immigrants to Western Europe. As such, populations are on the move, mostly through what are called ‘illegal’ channels. So-called ‘legal’ channels are almost impossible to navigate, especially on short notice. Alleus by Prem Sahib represents this particular moment in the evolution of UK immigration policy. The work is a sound installation that takes a speech in parliament by the UK’s then home secretary, Suella Braverman, on the subject of immigration. Sahib’s audio work distorts Braverman’s speech by slowing it down and repeating it as a chant by surrounding MPs. It is interspersed by uncomfortable and enervating sounds. The words are also reversed as though the artist is sending them back to their originator. Although herself a second generation immigrant, Braverman and the Conservative British government have attempted to pursue a hostile policy to send ‘illegal’ immigrants to Rwanda without fair investigation into whether they have legitimate grounds to seek asylum in the UK. Alleus (Suella backwards) underscores the insidious nature of Braverman’s speech. The work is intended to be played near a staircase so that it can drift throughout a building with its source unseen, its sound disseminating much in the same way as the racist, anti-immigrant rhetoric touted by the Conservative British government.