[4][1] awake[5] Sawatzky was inspired to create a tapestry on the subject of oil after a visit to an exhibition of embroidery by pioneer women at the Glenbow Museum in Calgary in 2007.
It is more than 220 ft (60 m) long, and is modeled on the Bayeux Tapestry, incorporating text and images between upper and lower borders of dinosaurs.
[1][9] Panels depict the use of Greek fire, William Perkin's discovery of mauve dye, and the loss of life during the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster.
[12] Writer Amitav Ghosh reflected on the piece, saying it "creates a genealogy for humanity’s present predicament by placing it within history".
[5] Sawatzky describes it as depicting "twelve issues that keep us up at night", such as debt, AI, corruption and climate change.
[5] The panels are inspired by the illustrations from medieval manuscripts such as Books of Hours, and depict modern day scenes alongside quotes.