Satirical sewing

Perry draws on the satirical and often graphic humor of historic figures, like William Hogarth and Bruegel.

Seven ages of humans

Perry depicts the 'seven ages of humans' in this work. A child is born at the left of the tapestry and can be seen to advance through life in stages along the work.

Along the red road

The red thread which runs through the work seems to represent some kind of life-blood, feeding into the mouth of a demon-like creature, while a man lies on his deathbed.

Pick a brand

Look closely and you can see there are many words of branded advertizing sewn into the painting. Can you spot 'Ikea'?

Thornback Ray

They occur on shallow, sandy to muddy coasts in the eastern Atlantic, down to 300-450 m depth. The name refers to the nail-like thorns on its back and tail.

Shoebill

The Shoebill's name comes from the extraordinary shape of its bill, which looks like the shape of a shoe. The shoebill occurs in swampy habitats from Sudan to Zambia, feeding mostly on fish.

Cuttlefish

They belong to the class Cephalopoda, which also includes squid, octopuses, and nautiluses. Cuttlefish have a unique internal shell, the cuttlebone, which is used for control of buoyancy.

Starfish

Starfish are marine invertebrates. They typically have a central disc and usually five arms, though some species have a larger number of arms.

Barracuda

A barracuda, or cuda for short, is a large, predatory, ray-finned fish known for its fearsome appearance and ferocious behaviour.

Chameleon

Chameleons are famous for their combination of independently moving eyes, tong-like toes, a long, rapidly projecting tongue, a grasping tail and, of course, their ability to change their color.

Budgerigar

Budgerigars belong to the parrots and occur – sometimes in very large flocks – in dry regions of Australia. They feed mainly on seeds

Raccoon Dog

At first glance raccoon dogs look like raccoons. However, they actually belong to the dog family and their closest relatives are the grey fox and bat-eared fox.

Echidna

The Echidna family contains just four species which, along with the duck billed platypus, are the only mammals which lay eggs. The grape-sized egg has a leathery shell.

Pygmy Slow Loris

The Pygmy slow loris, which is completely nocturnal, occurs to the east of the Mekong in South-East Asia. These small primates reach a maximum weight of 500g and can live for up to 20 years.

Red Panda

Hiding behind the beam is a Red Panda. Only few species of mammals show the charming, teddy-bear-like characteristics of the Red Panda, with hubby cheeks and its eyes, nose, and short snout close together in the lower part of the face.