Siren Song

Anika Todd creates site-responsive interventions that call attention to property ownership, city infrastructure, and human attempts to control the environment. Siren Song is made from an array of alarm sirens that sit near the floodwall in Chouteau’s Landing, a historic industrial neighborhood shaped by its access to river shipping and railroads. The floodwall was built in response to worsening floods following the rechanneling of the Mississippi River—conditions that have grown more frequent and intense with climate change. Instead of a distress call, the sirens play the sound of flowing water, programmed to match the volume and intensity of passing trains and industrial traffic. Its volume and intensity sometimes draw visitors closer and other times repel them. Todd developed this project after the May 2025 tornado, when the city’s alarm system largely failed due to absent staff and a faulty siren system. Todd’s work functions both as a warning system and as an instrument that calls attention to the river.

With support from The Hearthland Foundation.