Anze Osterman is interested in the relationship between nature and humankind. He documents forgotten places on Earth and shares the stories of people who inspire others to explore the world.
His project 'North to Nowhere' is dedicated to a man who found himself at the very heart of the north.
This is the Arctic. I look around. A concentration of wilderness. Not a single soul. But you can hear your own heartbeat. You can see gulls hovering above the surface of the sea. Moose crossing the currents of rivers. The sound of the ocean...
And here, a man has made his home. A place where his children will grow up, where he feels calm and content. A place where he has everything he needs.
What brought him here? After spending some time living alongside him, I realised the answer lies in a different question: how do we become who we are?
His name is Robin. An Englishman raised by an African-American nanny, his first language was Swahili, and his heart holds within it the spirit of Africa alongside a love of the Arctic. From childhood he sought inspiration in travel books — one of his favourites being The Lost World of the Kalahari by Bjerre Jens. Growing up with books, he discovered in himself a deep respect for the invisible world that walked beside him throughout his life.
Leader of an expedition to the Northern Sea, writer, lover of the wild, family man, and best friend to a polar bear named Lucky.
At the age of 26, he sailed an open 18-foot dinghy from the Shetland Islands to the North Cape, the northernmost point of Norway. Twelve weeks alone on a raging sea. The journey helped him be reborn — it made him a man, not only physically but spiritually.
He later became the owner of a dog-sledding company in Svalbard. There he met his wife. Together they soon chose a place to build a family. In the end, it was all he had ever wanted — a family life in the Arctic.
His story taught me a simple truth: each of us must find our own boat, climb into it, and row all the way to where our dreams are leading.
If you enjoyed this article, be sure to explore the photographs of the untouched wilderness of northern Svalbard.
