People Behind The Projects: Zara Wood
The KEVRI People Behind The Projects (PBTP) series spotlights the people behind innovative and collaborative projects across industry, community and academia
Zara Wood, an Illustrator and Ravensbourne University London Senior Lecturer actively integrates inclusivity, sustainability, and talent development within her teaching modules and industry collaborations.
In 2023, Zara launched her podcast Rave About Illustration.
The podcast series sheds light on what illustrators do. Visual language is utilised to translate stories from other sectors, which often means that illustration as a field falls under the radar.
The podcast is for prospective illustrators, as well as the public as a whole, to gain insight in to the world of illustration. Topical discussions with leading established illustrators and newly graduated alumni, also bring more tailored talk on breaking boundaries, working as a freelancer and enterprise within the current economic climate.
Zara's Knowledge Exchange and Research Interests
Within her current research, Zara explores the dominance of using one lead hand for writing and drawing.
This enquiry includes both the biological and socio-cultural roots of right-handed preference in certain areas of the world and goes on to evaluate how tasks involving both brain hemispheres, and therefore both hands, could have fundamental impacts on decision-making and even dementia. Practice-led elements of this research incorporate observational drawing and contemporary dance.
''The brilliance of creating collaborations is that someone might have a knowledge exchange project, someone might have incredible research findings, so it's all about how can we come together and create things that are life-changing. That's the ultimate goal- we have to start somewhere.''
Find out about her previous and upcoming Knowledge Exchange projects, and how KEVRI supports her in our People Behind The Projects interview below!