God's Humor
Sarah Muller
Humor is a universal instinct spanning culture, language, and time. The court fool was crowned as the “truth-teller,” transcending the gap between the highest order and the common man. In Christian theology, the Latin term “Imago Dei” refers to the idea that humans are created in God’s likeness, giving them inherent dignity, value, and the capacity for a relationship with Him. It begs the question, are we funny because God’s funny?
God’s Humor is a presentation of research, dialogue, and personal ponderings expressed through a series of designed objects and constructed artifacts native to comedic storytelling, such as a 90-minute screenplay, a tape recorder, and a jester’s hat. The language of comedy and faith bump against each other in a way that may feel scandalous or, perhaps, delightful.
As a Christian, my understanding of God’s character is formed by scripture and lived experience. This 2-prong comprehension system is translated into a digital catalog containing every mention of laughter in the Bible and 30 testimonies of divine wit. Creating as the creator did, I construct a jester’s hat reflecting on the legacy of St. Francis, “God’s Fool,” who formed the "Jongleurs de Dieu," ("Troubadours of God") a traveling performance group that represented a liberation from the solemn expressions of love to a more playful kind of worship, yet still reverent and honest.
This work is a conversation between my love for God and my love of comedy, and for those who dare to consider such an intersection.