Memory – so often evoked by smell - is like this, too: something exists or occurs in 'the past' that perhaps we have a photograph to 'remind us', but Susan Sontag has pointed out that the memory relies upon – or is in fact defined, shaped, or 'deformed' if you will – by this external 'image.' This is a sentiment that intersects with Custodio's work, as his Flower Carpets / Tapetes Floridos are as much about creating a 'memory' as they are about 'transplanting' memory, identity and history to a new place: Custodio has not 'forgotten his place', to cite the Rushdie quote at the beginning of this piece, so much as 'remade' it anew, with – as with the local fauna which provides the names for his works – elements of the 'new home.'
Custodio's words about his works offer an historical – and very personal – framework: “Each year, citizens on the island of Sao Miguel, Azores, line the streets with carpets made of flowers for people to walk on during the processions of their religious festivals. The sheer magnitude and hours of work involved in creating these flower carpets are a true testament to the love and devotion felt by the inhabitants of the Azores.
As the son of Portuguese immigrants from Sao Miguel, I have always been fascinated by this tradition and the making of this series has been a way for me to reconnect with my Portuguese heritage.
