City sounds. By Guillaume BECKER & Armand PRADIER

The sound of silence

The sound of speed

These two photos were taken on different days in mid-September 2015. Both of them were taken in Clermont-Ferrand.

The first photo is of Notre Dame du Port. We took the picture to get a wide angle effect because it was the only way to be able to see the entire building. It was taken in colour to bring out the lovely beige colours. On the right is a Latin cross. There are several small and medium-sized windows.

The weather was pretty cold with a greyish sky and we could feel a slight breeze. There were few visitors. Surrounded by silence, we could only hear our own voices. Some people were smoking cigarettes close by. We were both in a good mood.

Notre Dame du Port is a Romanesque church built during the 11th century, destroyed by the Normans and rebuilt. It has been classified as a historical monument since 1840.  Romanesque churches are characterised by a simple construction and the use of stone.

A church is a way to escape negativity and represents tranquillity, hope and peace to us.  It can also be a place to remember loved ones. The building has such a simple and different look from any other church in the area and blends so well into its surroundings.

The second photo is of Clermont-Ferrand train station and we didn’t use any form of effect. However, we took the photo from a certain angle because it revealed what the area is like. We chose colour because we wanted people to see the different elements in the picture as well as the main colours dominating this picture. Originally constructed in 1855, its latest renovation was in 2014-15.

The weather was cloudy with some clear sky and a temperature of about 20°C. There was a lot of wind as can be seen by the movement of one of the trees. It was busy and quite noisy due to the cars passing by and the people around us talking on their telephones. We both felt bored because we didn’t know what to do during our lunch break. There was a pervading smell of kebabs and car fumes. We can see the road and a bus stop showing that this place is a high-traffic area. One can also see the station’s escalator and main entrance with a large clock at the top of the building. The level of air pollution and noise is high.

The way sound informs people has changed. In a church, people know when a service starts due to music being played and the bells ringing. At a train station, however, people hear announcements transmitted through a loudspeaker. This shows that technological evolution changes the way sound is heard. A church is often quiet whereas a train station is always noisy because of the traffic, people’s conversations and the trains.

Both of these building are part of the urban landscape but while one is a cultural place, a place of worship, the other is purely practical and part of the transport infrastructure. Both have different purposes: the church is a place to pray and reflect and the train station is a place to get to or to leave.