Madi and Me

I’ve always wanted a travel companion. No, not the human kind (plus-ones can be dreadfully high-maintenance). I wanted an action figure or object I could take with me on trips and photograph in exotic places; the artistic equivalent of scrawling “Sarah was here” all over the world. And after years on the road I finally found the perfect one late last summer in Martinique. She’s a white rubber elephant, given to me local artist Laurent Valere. He created this striking and powerful memorial at Anse Cafard on the island’s coast, and after our interview he was kind enough to invite our group back to his beachfront home. One ti punch led to another and we fast became friends, our fledgling relationship sealed with his parting gift of an elephant plucked from the plasticized herd that formed quirky installation in his garden.