Faith

The unique "Sacred on Location" exhibition comprised a programme of exhibits and events that explored and celebrated the diversity of religious traditions within Britain, and the numerous links between Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

Painstaking work in this illuminated prayer book

Jane Hall, Assistant Head of Culture and Tourism at Sunderland City Council said: "When at the British Library in London, Sacred was the most successful exhibition, in terms of visitor numbers in the library's history."

The exhibition was created in an attempt to emphasise understanding of, and between, these religions that have shaped so much of European history and civilisation.

Raising awareness

Anne Shaw, from Sunderland's Inter Faith Forum, was a key part of the installation of the British Library exhibition. She said at the time: "We were able to advise about the importance of religious sensitivities and, through our extensive networking, we were able to provide a number of artefacts such as those from the Jewish community.

"This exhibition will go a long way to raise the awareness of cooperation and understanding between faiths."

Jewish Sacred writings - always treated reverantly

A full programme of events throughout the duration of the exhibition included such things as calligraphy, yoga, religious readings, faith discussions, and handling sessions of replicas of the Codex Amiatinus and the Lindisfarne Gospels.

The 'common good'

The Bishop of Durham, at the opening of the exhibition, recalled the importance of working together between the faiths – this interaction is something that is at the very core of the exhibition.

"It's extraordinary when you find convergence"

He said: "We would sit down and read together the different scriptures and it's extraordinary when you find the convergence and contrasts – that is a very healthy thing in getting to know who your interlocutors are in the other faiths. It's not just finding out about yourself and the way forward – it's about finding out what theologians call the 'common good'."

Two contemporary interactive elements to the exhibition gave additional interest too. The British Library’s award winning "Turning the Pages" technology, which allows the user to electronically turn the pages of religious books on screen, proved popular.

The British Library's interactive faith wheel, which has been developed by their Learning Team, revealed information about customs and rituals from Judaism, Christianity and Islam.