This tapestry is inspired by Perry’s visit to Sunderland, a city in north east England that is famous for its football team and is populated by large working class communities. The background shows the city’s poorer areas of terraced housing and its industry: a shipyard crane mimics a crucifix.
The focus of the scene is Tim’s stepfather, a night club singer who unselfconsciously pours out his emotion, with his mother supplicating passionately at his feet. Their postures are reminiscent of the figures in the Crucifixion from Matthias Grünewald’s 16th century Isenheim Altarpiece. Tim is now a teenage boy, dressed in school uniform and covering his ears in embarrassment. The computer sticking out of his school bag hints at an interest in technology that he will pursue in later life.
Hinting to happier childhood times, a younger Tim can be seen on the left as he plays happily with his step-grandfather on the allotments.