This publication documents an iterative exploration of erosion, beginning with a simulation of the character “伪” from a Northern Wei stele. Across 100 iterations, I examined how traces—often viewed as damage—can instead grow across visual, physical, and conceptual dimensions. Early stages focused on the physical transformation of the character and its surrounding space. Later, I moved toward using traces as intellectual and associative triggers, exploring how erosion could generate new meanings and visual structures. Through layout, collage, and reflection, I developed a method of “thinking through traces” — treating them not as remnants of the past, but as generative forces. Traces here become pathways for speculative connections between image, material, and meaning.
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