MOMO

MOMO is a life-sized female doll weighing 18 pounds. She is sewn from muslin, with photographic images applied to her body. I created MOMO as a sculpture after a serious loss. I decided to carry her everywhere I went, documenting her travels with photographs. MOMO quickly transformed from an art object into a community performance piece, touching the lives of many who had never experienced art in a gallery or museum. MOMO was an active participant in community life for a total of two years.

From Colorado to New York to Seattle, people responded to MOMO in ways I could not have imagined. Many found her merely amusing, more found her compelling and engaging. Some people identified with MOMO - others, with me, her bearer. MOMO acted as a Rorschach, her meaning determined by a viewer’s own physical or emotional burdens. These themes were then applied as text to her skin. She provided the opportunity for people to speak freely about their own problems. MOMO grew to be a powerful force, as she reduced social isolation while encouraging exchanges about life and contemporary issues.

Many who had only heard of her honked or waved their greetings. Some people wanted the experience of being her bearer. MOMO has been tenderly cared for by people with developmental challenges and pushed in wheelchairs by the elderly. She has been "doll-napped" by both leather clad motorcyclists and firefighters, and been beaten and kicked by teen-aged boys; all while I stood watch from afar. These days, MOMO is retired from active service, but she still travels on her own from time to time.

-Monika Lidman