From the “Siren’s Song” to the Noise of Sirens

Authors

  • Charles Feitosa Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro – UNIRIO

Keywords:

Voice, Body, Technology, Noise, Language

Abstract

 The aim of this essay is to explore the conceptual and cultural transformations of the voice, based on the possible relations between the classic account of the sirens’ song and the modern advent of sirens, artifacts used mainly to warn populations of imminent disasters. The hypothesis is that both in the traditional account of the sirens/mermaids and in the technical conception of sirens there is a devaluation of sound in favor of speech. Finally, some ways of re-signifying the sirens’ song are suggested, based on a conceptual matrix that avoid the hierarchical opposition between meaning and senses.

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Author Biography

Charles Feitosa, Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro – UNIRIO

Charles Feitosa holds a Master’s degree in Philosophy from the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro and a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Albert-Ludwigs Universität Freiburg (Germany). He also completed postdoctoral studies in Philosophy at the University of Potsdam (Germany) and the University of Paris VIII (France). He received the 2005 Jabuti Prize for his book Explicando a Filosofia com Arte (Explaining Philosophy with Art). He is a full professor and researcher in the Department of Philosophy (DEFIL) and the Graduate Program in Performing Arts (PPGAC) at the Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO). Currently, he serves as the vice-coordinator of PPGAC/UNIRIO, coordinator of POP-LAB (Laboratory for Studies in Pop Philosophy), and vice-coordinator of LABOGAD (Laboratory for Preservation and Management of Digital Archives) and the Seminar on Educational Practices in the Pedagogy Program (Distance Learning) at UNIRIO. He is also a collaborating member of the PPGF/UFRJ and PROF-FIL (UFABC), working as a professor, researcher, and advisor.

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Published

2025-04-29

How to Cite

Feitosa, C. (2025). From the “Siren’s Song” to the Noise of Sirens. Brazilian Journal on Presence Studies, 15(1). Retrieved from https://seer.ufrgs.br/index.php/presenca/article/view/147121

Issue

Vol. 15 No. 1 (2025): Jan./Mar. 2025

Section

Contemporary Topics IV

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Brazilian Journal on Presence Studies

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