7 Questions – Paul ‘Max’ Lomax, Founder of Whalesong Art

Twitter is a great place to meet people and it’s where I met Max, @whalesongartwww.whalesongart.com who sells t-shirts with images created from whale and dolphin song. The t-shirts are beautiful (I know because I’ve got one). However, they’re not your average mass produced, printed t-shirt. The fabric is organic, made using only wind and solar power and have a 90% reduced carbon footprint. Oh, and a percentage of profits go directly to the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS). Nice.
As well as being a business (let’s face it, we all have to make a living), Max is using these images, not just on t-shirts but also on canvasses and prints, to highlight the plight of cetaceans globally through conversation about the art. Neat idea. Worldwide delivery is available and FREE in the UK (a rare service these days).

1. Where did the idea for Whalesong Art come from?

I found it in The Daily Telegraph. A sonic engineer in San Francisco called Mark Fischer of Aguasonic Acoustics and commercialised it.

2. How do you turn the sounds into images?

Mark uses a known mathematical technique for creating complicated intricate structures from sound known as Wavelets.

3. What is your vision for the company?

The existing products (canvasses, prints and t-shirts) are great quality and I am working on multiple images for wallpaper, surfboard art and fabrics. I want to start people on the journey of awareness about cetacean causes through conversation about the art.

4. I love the fact that the t-shirts are made from organic cotton. Where do you source your fabric?

It is a multiple award winning brand of organic t-shirts called Earth Positive. 100% cotton (nothing man made added). They fit like a dream and wash well – no shrinkage and the seems don’t skew. Perfect!

5. Tell me a bit about your printing methods.

The canvasses, in particular, use a sublimation method which prints into the fabric and is super-durable. (This basically means that the image is fused INTO the fabric, not ONTO it).

6. I see you give a share of your profits to WDCS – out of all the charities you could have chosen, why them?

They were really quick to respond and Mark liked their work. We aim, and have already agreed, to give more as the company grows.

7. It’s 5 years time, how has Whalesong Art developed?

We have been active for cetacean causes, globally developed new and funky products and had a good time with my daughter Mimi.

Whalesong Art is stunning ocean art made from hydrophonic recordings of individual whale and dolphin song.

Wednesday 22 February 2012

Scuba dive blogger jackie Hutchings Q and A .