Where are Eve and Sarah?

If you wonder where are Eve and Sarah in Karen Sawrey’s Infographic, you’re not alone. They are not in the images included in the exhibition, but of course they are in her book The Infographic Bible. We asked Karen if she could explain to us how she worked on the Infographics. Why Eve and Sarah are missing from the list of “Influential Women in the Old Testament.”

Karen Sawrey: “Eve, Hanna, and Sarah are all three of the most important women in the Bible. They are all three in my book. Eve, appeared on some of the first pages 32-33, playing an essential role in the creation story. And Sarah is so important that she is included in the list “Most Mentioned Figures in the Old Testament,” on pages 36-37.

With the two pages on the most influential women of the Old and New Testaments, I also wanted to shed light on women who are not very well known or not mentioned by name in the Bible, and to make sure that they are still included.”

Everyone is equal before God

“My heart was to show how God sees and celebrates women. To show that their story, their voice and their contribution is an essential part of Gods plan to make all things new. Everyone is equal before God. I see that in the Bible. I therefore wanted to portray as many women as possible. My hope for these two pages included in the exhibition, is that they inspire curiosity. That they inspire conversation for people to ponder who they are most influenced by. To consider other women in the bible whose story resonates with their own.

Although I am the author of the book, I intentionally chose not to work on it alone, but to include other voices and opinions. I have been supported by many people from very different backgrounds. They worked alongside me to research and help create the data. I then analyzed and visualized the data which created the infographics. For the two pages on the ‘most influential women from the Bible’ I have collaborated with Dr. Ruth Bancewicz. She is a leading scientist, whom I invited to share the women she is most influenced by. I thought it was great to use the contributions of others to ensure polyphony in the book.’