Manman Dlo is an underwater sculpture present in the city of Saint-Pierre. Manman Dlo means "mermaid of the Martinican seas" in Creole. It is inspired by tales, tradition, the sacred. The artist Laurent Valère, who is also the author of the statuettes for the Cap 110 Memorial at Le Diamant, wanted to pay tribute to this local myth.
With its 20 tons, the sculpture took possession of the seabed of Saint Pierre since 2004. The face of the mermaid fixes the skies and challenges, the Mount Pelée "mass criminal" according to the artist referring to the eruption which caused the disappearance of more than 32,000 Pierrotins (Saint Pierre inhabitants). Set back, its tail is posed, suggesting that the rest of the sculpture is buried under the sand.
In 2015, she was joined by Yemaya, more massive (12 meters long) and very voluptuous, her gironde silhouette is rather welcoming. Yémaya is three separate parts of a woman's body, placed 9 meters deep, suggesting that a part of the body is buried under the sand. Yemaya is lying with her back to the sun and seems to be searching the sand for answers.
Both are placed in a sanctuary of Martinican and even Caribbean underwater life. The site is renowned for its breathtaking and extraordinary seabed. The aquatic fauna is very important there. Also, fish of all species, sea urchins, starfish, sponges, corals and gorgonians now shelter and reproduce there. These sculptures attract life and offer a never-ending broom of teeming underwater life.
The diver will admire this artistic lair, Manman Dlo and Yemaya are still and luminous shining thanks to the rays of the sun. According to the artist Laurent Valère, this is only the beginning, the ultimate goal was to create a vast underwater gallery dedicated to the sea and the preservation of the underwater complex. A harmonious way to make humans aware of the natural ecological processes that generate new lives...
To access it, you will have to put on fins or use a canoe-kayak to get to 50 meters from the shore. A buoy located just above the sculptures will show you their location.
Copyright of the photos: https://www.laurentvalereartstudio.com
