Mikael Calandra Achode

Biography

I am designer and researcher working primarily with film, modern media and sonic practices situated across the African diaspora. I'm a full time lecturer on the BA (Hons) Graphic Communication Design at Central Saint Martins covering aspects of design thinking, culture theory, filmmaking and West African visual heritage.


My visual work focuses on musical spaces emerging and maturing across communities of the African diaspora, exploring themes such as identification and cultural actualisation at the intersection of music, vernacular culture and lifestyle. I consider music not only as a critical form of social and cultural expression that articulates aspects of everyday life, but also as a mediating form that anticipates historical developments.


My practice sets itself the ambition to capture and participate in the development of contemporary musical scenes of the African diaspora using documentaries, visual media, music videos and musical production.