BLEEDING BLUES
‘’Bleeding Blues’’ is Cath Simard’s first documentary.
This video showcases her entire creative process and journey through the Peruvian Andes, an attempt to capture a red lake she discovered on Google Earth a few years before.
Back in June 2022, after many months of preparation, Cath embarked on a 6-day trek in Peru accompanied by her videographer, Jacob Frazer, and her guide, Noe Cruz.
Together they went through the ups and downs comprising a complex creative expedition. The logistics, acclimatization, low temperatures, the unexpected, the doubts, the uncertainty.
This journey is not only filled with breathtaking landscapes and nature, it is also a revelation of Cath’s inner landscape - a window into her obsessive creative mind and multifaceted personality.
The conclusion unveils Cath's debut on Ordinals, a home she chose for the alignment of its philosophy of preservation (of art, of nature and story) on the BTC blockchain, a return to origins, and the shared roots of an innate human desire to explore, whether it’s ideas, technology or the planet itself.
The making of this film was as much of a journey as the trek itself. Along the way, fears, self doubts, self criticism and many other challenges led me to put aside the project for a full year. But as much as I tried to forget about it, I just couldn’t. Something inside of me wanted to fight for this dream and this vision I’ve had for many years. It made me realize that my fears were rooted in self-limiting beliefs and lack of confidence. And the key to beating those fears was by changing my perception of myself and doing this film. Thanks again for being here and taking part in my journey. - Cath
Full documentary credits :
Presented by Cath Simard, Filming & Editing : Jacob Frazer, Pre-Production : Matt Scobel, Color Grading : Nicolas Morin, Mountain Guide : Noe Cruz, Music by Robot Koch featuring CIRCLE 2, CIRCLE 18, CIRCLE 32, CIRCLE 36, CIRCLE 20, CIRCLE 16, CIRCLE 33, CIRCLE 37, ALL FORMS ARE UNSTABLE, INSTRUCTIONS FOR TIME TRAVEL, CIRCLE 26 (TOM ASHBROOK REWORK), NEBULA, CRYSTAL GRID (RYAN DAVIS REVERIE EDIT), CIRCLE 8, PSYCHIC
Film created by Jacob Frazer
U.S.-based filmmaker and photographer working in documentary and beauty.
“Devotion.
The word that comes to mind when I think about Cath’s creative process.
Sleepless nights in faraway places. 4 a.m. wake-ups in below freezing weather at high altitudes to chase light. Storing the camera and batteries inside the sleeping bag to keep them from freezing overnight. Jolting out into the darkness in search of awe. Trying to grasp something ineffable and bring back a piece of it to share. The surrender to the unknown. Chasing a dream. Devotion" - Jacob Frazer
going back- 1/1 COMMISSION
Not every photographic journey ends in success. After going back home and looking through my images, I realized that I didn't come away with the photographs that I was hoping for. I attempted to assemble a few composites, but nothing felt right or a good enough representation of what I had initially envisioned. The added pressure of the project and the cameras made it more challenging for me to fully connect with the experience and immerse myself into my creative process. Also, being an introvert, I need to be alone to create. After coming up to these realizations, I felt a strong desire to go back one more time with a plan and new ideas, but this time, in complete solitude.
Through the participation of a collector in a new, upcoming journey of going back and tying again, the quest becomes a deeper, shared experience. it is an opportunity to write the end of this story together.
The 1/1 commission was privately sold to Nuro, a dear friend, incredible artist, and now collector. The sale price is undisclosed
This June, I will be going back to the red lake alone and spend as much time needed to create the 1/1.
THE COLLECTOR - NURo
Nuro is an experimental artist pioneering work at the intersection of Neurotechnology, art and the Cypherpunks movement.
He is founder of the Nuro Realm and Blob, top projects on Bitcoin Ordinals where he created the first neurogenerative inscriptions on bitcoin. His artwork “Spike #1” was a groundbreaking 3D audiovisual scene and the first inscription on an Epic sat.
An ordinals OG, Nuro has played a major role in building the community on bitcoin. He established the first ordinals gallery and media lab in SF with Cypherpunk Lab, a mission driven organization focused on education and supporting contributions to the ordinals protocol. Some of the most notable innovations in ordinals have been made through the Lab, including markdown for on-chain publishing, recursive endpoints, 3D audiovisual scenes and manipulating brain data on chain.
Twitter handle: @nurorealm
Read an Overview HERE and Media Coverage HERE
The inscription - ORDINALS
With the help of Nuro & Cypherpunk lab, the artwork will be inscribed on Ordinals, preserving on the BTC blockchain, the many layers of this story forever. To be continued…
The Return - Peru 2024
In June 2024, Cath returned to the red lake, spending 5 days alone and successfully created an artwork. This composite titled ‘‘Bleeding Blues - The Final Vision’’ is shown below.
This composite is the culmination of Cath Simard’s journey to an elusive red lake in Peru, a quest showcased in her first documentary ‘’Bleeding Blues’’. After an initial visit in 2022 that left her yearning for more, Cath knew she had to return—this time in solitude, without the pressure of the camera, to fully immerse herself in the creative process.
This second journey, two years later, was not merely a repeat of the first, but a deeper, more introspective exploration of both the land and herself. Alone with the red lake, Cath could finally connect with the landscape and execute the vision she had carefully planned. Free from external distractions, she spent countless days in high altitude surrounded by the vibrant, rugged and disappearing beauty of the red lake. Day after day, soaking in the ever-shifting hues of the terrain, the silence, the sound of the glaciers collapsing and the isolation. Here, the emotional and creative disconnect from her first expedition dissolved, allowing the vision she had once held in her mind to slowly materialize before her lens.
The resulting artwork is a testament to this two-year transformative experience—a merging of the raw, elemental forces of nature and Cath’s internal voyage. It is the embodiment of Cath’s journey, a reflection of her struggle, her resilience, and her ultimate creative triumph. Bleeding Blues stands as a symbol of artistic perseverance and the beauty of revisiting a dream until it is fully realized.
“Le bleu, c’est la tranquillité. La solitude, le calme, l’absence de bruits. Le bleu, c’est le ciel, les lacs, les glaciers, les montagnes, la nuit et l’isolation. Le bleu, c’est ce qui apaise mon esprit. Le rouge, c’est la passion, l’énergie, le sentiment d’urgence, l’obsession. Le rouge, c’est le dur travail de l’esprit et du corps. Le rouge, c’est le dévouement pour la création de mon art. En fusion, ces couleurs décrivent mon aventure au Pérou. Les hauts et les bas, la tranquillité et le chaos, l’obsession et le laisser-aller. Les grands moments d’émotion et ceux plus petits qu’on oublie parfois. Certaines personnes voient la vie en noir et blanc. Pour moi, cette expérience, je l’ai vécue en rouge et bleu.”
‘’Blue is tranquility. It’s solitude, calmness, and the absence of noise. Blue is the sky, the lakes, the glaciers, the mountains, the night, and isolation. Blue is what soothes my mind. Red is passion, energy, a sense of urgency, and obsession. Red is the hard work of the mind and body. Red is the dedication to creating my art. In fusion, these colors describe my adventure in Peru: the highs and lows, the tranquility and chaos, the obsession and the letting go. The grand moments of emotion and those smaller ones that are sometimes forgotten. Some people see life in black and white, but for me, this experience has been lived in red and blue.’
The inscription
Link to the inscription :https://ordinals.com/inscription/dcf951e1964a29b8ddff05d2cb5f801e32edd63484b5f7c40bb21fbff4b984bci0
Specs : 3.7 MB, 4444 X 5555 px
Metadata :
Title: Bleeding Blues - The Final Vision
Artist: Cath Simard
Date: 26 / 06 / 2024
Location: Peru
Coordinates : 13°48'21"S 71°12'36"W
Inscription style : Parent/Chiild. Cath Simard’ signature as the parent, and the artwork as the child.