Momo
Monika LidmanLife-sized sculpture
Public responses to MOMO seemed quickly formed; nearly automatic. Reactions were spontaneous and sometimes altogether raw. Over time, I encountered the full spectrum – the delighted, the cautious, the caring, the fearful, the playful, the unstable, and, in some cases, the complete jerks. Lacking a gallery setting, people felt entitled to express a full spectrum of responses, most of them more telling about the person than MOMO. It was as if MOMO was a portable Rorschach test. Before my very eyes, she made a quick sort of personality types. A terse “What the hell is this?” spoke volumes about the questioner. It became my practice to answer with another question. “What do you think this is?” Granted, some people thought she was some kind of practical joke. A mere dummy. Some were simply offended. Once, in a strange twist, I found myself listening to a heated debate between two feminists; one pro-MOMO, the other adamantly opposed.