Community Ambassador: Amber Docters Van Leeuwen

Amber Docters Van Leeuwen is a multidisciplinary artist that combines different disciplines with her cello playing. Her first time at MOMO was last year when she created an installation for the festival.

When we asked her about her first impression of the MOMO Festival, she said “When I talked to the MOMO team even before attending the festival, I remember thinking ‘This festival is not just a festival. It is really part of Rotterdam and part of the community” This realisation of what MOMO is was very special because MOMO is more than just a festival to me. I am grateful for the MOMO family for their support and look forward to creating a new piece for MOMO” She also pointed out the diversity of the audience. “It’s an incredible mixture of people and it’s so wonderful that MOMO brings everybody together. I experienced a bustling and bubbling feeling at MOMO and it really gave me a very warm feeling.

Following her first time at MOMO as a part of the program, she is excited to attend the festival this year as a visitor: “I’m looking forward to seeing and discovering new artists because that’s what MOMO does. It makes you discover something new. They bring so many artists that I don’t know yet but am confident that will be amazing so I’m definitely looking forward to that. And also, seeing all the people that make MOMO, MOMO and getting together with the MOMO family.”

Reflecting on our campaign “Makes You Wonder”, she mentioned that her adoption background is one of her main inspirations and what drives her to work. “ It definitely goes back to that because it’s in my core and it drives me to create and wonder about identity and wonder about all kinds of love; the love of a mother, the love of a father and the relationship that you can have with somebody you don’t know. I wonder how you can miss a person that you’ve never met. What is identity? What does it do if you don’t have a history?  What does it do if you have a feeling or the urge to search for something but you don’t know what you are searching for? The things I wonder about are all actually related to my adoption background. In that sense my work can be dark but I try to make it a positive experience so it is also very hopeful. A hopeful darkness.”

Set Design: Elsemarijn Bruys
Photography: Ashley Röttjers
Video: Studio Nul