Nadia Micault has always loved to draw, “and always seriously,” she adds. At first she saw herself as a designer, but when she learned that drawing would not be the focus of her work, she turned to illustration and graphic design. “Of course, there were always the fine arts, but I was afraid it would too hard to make a living! And I knew that with an advanced vocational diploma in visual communications from the Ecole Duperré, I would very quickly learn to use professional tools and would get practical training right away.”

After working in animation, she met Prisca Lonjoy, who introduced her to both the visual world of the tango/electro group Gotan Project and Charles Petit of Yellow House, her current producer. She also met musician Alice Daquet, also known as Sir Alice, when she was learning to be a tattoo artist. “I want to learn everything there is to know about design,” she says. Both women discovered that, in addition to sharing the same approach, they complemented each other very well. “I’ve always wanted to work in music because that is where my artistic and visual expression is least restricted,” says Nadia.

After the cover and clips for the album ?, Nadia created her friend’s website: “Its point of departure was the Chercher Charlie (Go Find Charlie) picture books for children, so I developed a theme based on “lost and found.” To use the site, it will be necessary to wait a few months while Nadia experiments with mixing videos, illustrations, animation and sound, both interactive and non-interactive, with the aim of enticing Internet users to go look for Sir Alice; the person who finds her will be invited to her concert.

Achievements since winning the grant

Nadia Micault developed her career as a film-maker in 2006. She directed a video clip for experimental musician Sir Alice (Alice Daquet), titled L’amour made in Taiwan , which was selected for projection by the prestigious New York Resfest Festival and included in the programming of the Cube (a digital creation centre). The proposal for her first short film, Naïade perdue dans la forêt (*provisional title) was awarded the ARTE prize at the 2006 Annecy Festival. Nadia is producing her film at Autour de Minuit and YellowHouse Productions and is co-directing it with Lorenzo Nanni, a talented textile artist and embroiderer. The release is planned for 2007. Since the end of 2006, Nadia has been working on various projects ranging from a visual identity for a renowned law firm to fashion series for American magazines, while preparing for an exhibition of her paintings in Paris and working on the creation of several corporate and entertainment websites.

AGE: 28 I  PASSIONS: Nutella, yoga, images (design, painting and cinema), music. I  PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE:  to do whatever I like I  GOALS: to do whatever I like! I FAVOURITE WEBSITES:  www.radiohead.com; www.gorillaz.com; www.vodkacoca.com; www.paris-art.com.