Joker’s Chair – Dermot Morgan Memorial (2002)
By Catherine Greene
The Joker’s Chair was erected in the memory of the Irish writer, actor, satirist and comic Dermot Morgan (1952-1998),
The inscription which accompanies this piece reads;
….and all the rest is laughter liberating laughter to be remembered
Catherine Greene was born in Galway and studied at the National College of Art and Design from 1979-85. Greene was approached by Dermot Morgan’s partner to create the memorial which was funded by RTÉ (Ireland’s National Television) and supported by Dublin City Council.
A condition of the commission was that it should be an allegorical piece rather than a representative image. Greene saw Dermot as being like the modern day seer who never feared to tell the truth, cleverly, searingly and with verve. This led her to the idea of the Shakespearean fool, who was always the closest to the throne and who never feared to tell the truth.
Underneath the seat, there is an eye, which Greene meant to represent the knowing eye. The balls on the top of the seat are like the hat of the jester.
