BIO
Hannah Gross is currently a student at the University of Maryland, College Park. She is active in the School of Music and the School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies, performing in the UMD Treble Choir (directed by Ken Elpus), and as one of the Femmes de Chanson.
A creator of all variants from an early age, Hannah enjoys a range of interests and is always excited to learn new things. These include musical composition, architectural design, visual art such as sketching and painting, modern dance, and more. For Hannah, art is a form of meditation and reflection. It is a critical aspect of maintaining balance with academic life.
Hannah has been a professional musician since 2014, a piano teacher since 2018, and is always looking to expand her artistic knowledge and skills. She is currently pursuing a B.S. in Architecture from the University of Maryland, College Park.
ARTIST'S STATEMENT
Question
How can we explore core connections between music and other creative disciplines, specifically architecture?
History & Distinction
There’s not a ton of precedent combining music and architecture that I could find, likely because the number of people with both musical and architectural skill sets is small.
I ran into a few blog posts (about translating music in to architecture, not the other way around) and two graduate theses recommended to me by acquaintances.
The most useful form of learning for this project was actually my university classes. I take a lot of music, dance, architecture (as it is my major), and scholars classes and each one has taught me numerous things about my creative process. Taking them concurrently allowed me to more directly apply creative skills I learned in one area to another. For example, in dance we often create a “score,” or a set of rules to follow to create an improvisation. I began to use this tactic in my conceptual stages in my architecture studio course, and it allowed me to create much more cohesive designs.
Inspiration from other sources: One specific image created by the text of the piece is “white wings of death (bring life anew).” It talks about a peacefulness of final rest, and how death often brings new life and change. It references a painting I ran across once that I could not get out of my head. In his 1897 work Dӧden, Latvian painter Janis Rozentals depicts Death as gentle and non-threatening, head bowed, and all in white, which is a rare occurrence. http://memorialiemuzeji.lv/personalities/janis-rozentals/?lang=en
Approach
The main concept I was focused on pursuing was how to translate design concepts between media. My most effective strategy was to brainstorm with word clouds and abstract the place into thoughts, feelings, and descriptive words—as shown in my journal pages—and then choose musical concepts that evoke such vibes from there.
Audience
Friends and family, and future employers of either field who are interested to see my interdisciplinary ventures.
Impact
I hope the music makes you feel something. I hope it seems like you experienced the site without having set foot on the grounds. I hope it brings you peace and comfort and beauty. I hope it reminds you of the people that you love, and makes you remember them fondly.
