Between Reality and Imagination: The Wilderness Within

Cath Simard invites the audience into the space between what is seen and what is felt. Drawing on expeditions through Patagonia, Peru, the Canadian Rockies and beyond, she unveils the craft behind her surreal composite artworks. Through an intimate breakdown of how multiple field captures become a single final image, she shows how transparency, intention and emotional truth guide each creative decision.

The session features a short film that reveals the adventure behind the image, documenting her first mountaineering ascent and the practical challenges of creating art in extreme environments. She also introduces her journey in the NFT space, using blockchain for authenticity, provenance and artistic evolution. Inviting audiences to reimagine what is real, this talk explores how photography can move past documentation and become visual architecture, bridging the outer wilderness and the inner one.

What you will take away:
• A clear, ethical framework for disclosure in composites, including planning, capture, and post production choices
• Field techniques for expeditions in harsh environments, from risk management to efficient multi element capture for seamless builds
• A practical primer on provenance and NFTs, covering smart contracts, editions and long term authenticity for digital art

Who this is for:
• Photographers and digital artists seeking to elevate concept driven composites with honest storytelling
• Editors, curators and commissioners interested in transparency standards and audience trust
• Students and educators exploring the intersection of expedition practice, post production and blockchain based provenance