Author Archives: Herve Iradukunda

Bosbyshell fountain – Pomona College – Nov 13, 2018 11:00PM

From a distance, the bell tower is the first thing you notice about the area. The bell rings every hour during the day. One can hear it from a distance. It is unique to this area and may therefore be considered as the soundmark[1] of this area. When the area is not crowded, one can hear the soft pitter patter sound produced by the water fountain. Which gives the soundscape[2] an ambient sound that can help one relax and meditate. During different times, different sounds can be heard. Birds in the nearby trees, squirrels jumping from one branch to another. Students riding their skateboards, bicycles or just walking. Students heading to Frary dining hall for a meal. People laughing, talking, running, playing different types of games such as basketball and volleyball. People playing musical instruments at Walker beach. Pomona college employee driving carts or nearby construction trucks. Depending on the time of the day, the area produces a sound that is unique and rich. Due to the variety of people passing by, one can hear different sound signals as mentioned above. This area provides sound that is a combination of human-made sound and sound made by nature. It can be soft, ambient, loud or aggressive.

[1] Soundmark: a sound which is unique to an area

[2] Soundscape: a sound that is heard in a particular area