We leave traces wherever we go—subtle impressions, marks that reveal who we were and what remains. We preserve remnants—objects, letters, photographs, among others—as a way of eternalizing moments, memories, and our very existence.

This project began with the appropriation of the verse “de tudo fica um pouco” (“off all remains something”) from the poem Resquício by Carlos Drummond de Andrade, which also gives the work its title. Inspired by this line, I wrote an original poem and created a triptych using three old family portraits: my grandmother, my grandmother with my mother, and my mother with me. I chose these images for their emotional significance and because they portray women who left deep marks on my life.

From this initial triptych, I developed others, intervening in the images through various techniques—embroidery, sanding, cutting, stitching, burning, writing—gestures that symbolize the traces we leave behind.

These remnants manifest in different ways: in genetic inheritance and physical resemblances, represented in the first triptych by the female body, motherhood, and the tree of life; and in affective objects, such as pieces of my grandmother’s crochet, which were incorporated into the images. The traces also linger in writing and letters, as in one of the triptychs where I handwrote excerpts from the poem I composed.

The work also includes photographs of personal objects belonging to me, my grandmother, and my mother—intimate relics that carry silent stories.

Over time, these marks and signs fade and disappear—they lose their sentimental value. Will my descendants recognize the worth of my grandmother’s crochet fragments? For this reason, I also chose to intervene in ways that deconstruct the images, unraveling their original narratives and bringing new meanings. The photographs gradually lose their sharpness and clarity, nearly vanishing. They cease to be emotional keepsakes and become mere remnants.