This is an image of the fountain in front of the old entrance to Carrier library and in front of Burruss.
Many students use the fountain to sit on and it is used as a decorative piece for the campus. Just today it was a beautiful day out, and students were laying on the side of the fountain under the sun and sitting around its edges doing work or having fun with friends.
I think it can be seen that it has both a symbolic and aesthetic meaning. I believe because of where it was put, directly in front of the old main entrance to the library, it served as a kind of power. It can be seen as a historic fountain and symbolizes our history. I think the designers intended the fountain to be a symbol of importance and to put emphasis on the library and to be seen as an important part of the campus. I think it is interesting because if you walk straight down past the quad going the other way, there is symbolic statue of James Madison. So I think the designers did that on purpose to have two objects of importance and the quad directly in between them. It was also built to be decorative and a very pretty part of campus that potential students can come and take pictures with.
It has pretty much stayed exactly the same overtime, which makes it even more a symbol of history and JMU. When I personally visited, it was something that stood out to me and something I still today enjoy to sit by and view. Everytime I go by it, it reminds me of when I was touring and how glad I am today that I attend JMU, so it does have a personal meaning also.
I love this fountain because it reminds me of one of the funniest things that I witnessed my freshman year. I was walking to class and I saw a guy dressed up as Michael Phelps with an American flag wrapped around him, jump into the fountain and swim around in circles and then jump out and run down the quad. I thought it was very clever. As Alyssa said This spot is mostly used for hanging out and talking to friends before or after class on a nice day. I can not think of any other ways that this fountain can be used besides hanging out and well, swimming. I use this space to admire the good looking fountain before I have to rush into Burress Hall for a class I am almost late for.
ReplyDeleteRyan Davis
Natalia Porciello Madison Space for Dr. H
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the angle you shot the picture and how you though it represented power. The fountain is dominating your shot and the angle is looking up at it which further emphasizes your point. The Michael Phelps story is pretty funny! IT says allot about the intended use of the fountain, and how people use it for different purposes, like swimming.
I like what you said about the fountain being a symbol of power on the campus, and that it was put there for the purpose so that the quad can rest between to figures of importance. I never thought about it like that before, but it makes sense. I also like the fountain because it brings back good memories of my freshman year. Nobody in my dorm really knew each other yet, but we decided to go on a walk and by the end of our walk we all ended up jumping and swimming in that fountain. Not only is it a pretty, but it's a good hangout spot and a great place to go if you are looking for a short swim!
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