Dedicated to using music as medicine and art as therapy, the Gaia Nomaya Wellness Center is a music, wellness and arts space in Brooklyn, New York. In addition to enabling visitors to have fun and hear music, and experience a range of healthy self-care options, the space is also used for outside events such as concerts and weddings. The core of Gaia Nomaya, however, is its Wellness Womb, offering an island of immersive aural ambience using Genelec 4430A Smart IP Installation Loudspeakers.
‘It’s a truly multi-use space with the focus on healthy living,’ explains Andrew Goldin, Gaia Nomaya’s Founder and CEO, who launched the venue with partners Sara Ramirez Loaiza and his brother David Goldin.
The installation in the Wellness Womb began after Robert Stern, Account Manager with Guitar Center Professional (GC Pro), had a conversation with audio engineer and designer Silas Drewchin (of the Praxis Audio Design Group), a friend of the founders and the facility, who told Stern he had a client, Gaia Nomaya, with a unique space and wanted to install immersive audio.
‘I had an exchange with Genelec Inc Senior Technical Sales Manager Paul Stewart, who made me aware of their new IP speakers, the 4430As, which we agreed would be perfect for this installation and use,’ Stern recalls. ‘Then I pitched the idea of installing the 4430s to Silas and Gaia Nomaya, who had a lot of questions, so we jumped on a call with Paul Stewart, who offered a comprehensive explanation – soon everyone was super-pumped about the idea. So I ordered and delivered them to Silas, who installed them at the facility.’
The loudspeakers are used to play continuous streams of soothing music and sounds that evoke forests, oceans and other tranquil environments. ‘The beauty of the system is that it lets the music transport people to those environments,’ Goldin says. ‘But they’re also excellent for all of the other things we do here – from having a DJ in to hosting jazz and other types of music. The Genelec loudspeakers do it all – and sound great doing it.’
There’s a further aspect that both Gaia Nomaya and Genelec have in common that supports both their missions. ‘One of the things that makes our location special is that 90 percent of the space is made with repurposed and reusable materials,’ Goldin explains, pointing to the venue’s bar and other elements throughout the space that use 100-year-old repurposed Coney Island boardwalk wood.
‘And if you look around, you’ll see what look like giant crystals all over the space, but they’re actually glass rocks, called eco rocks, that were recycled from the ocean. Wee learned that the vast majority of Genelec loudspeakers are made from recycled aluminium, which is very beneficial for the environment. Once we found out about that – a major brand like Genelec that’s actually thinking about the way they’re constructing their products to help the planet – it made so much sense that we connected with the company, because their mission aligns with ours. Sustainable is beautiful, and so is Genelec’s sound.’
More: www.genelec.com
