The Inspirations Behind 'No Man’s Land'

What happens when the mind is left alone with nothing but ice and silence?

When I created No Man’s Land, I wanted to explore the thin line between reality and paranoia - how solitude, strange surroundings, and fragmented memories can shape what we believe to be true. But this story isn’t just fiction; it’s deeply rooted in my artistic research, Antarctic Amazons, and the way we interpret (or misinterpret) history.

Antarctic Amazons: A Visual Research Project

This story builds upon Antarctic Amazons, an artistic research project I developed during art academy. In this project, I explored theories about Antarctica once having a civilization and how archeological finds can be misleading. Even with what we consider “hard evidence,” the interpretation of a person - or an entire society - is shaped by the perspective of the one studying it. For example, "warrior" women found in ancient graves were often assumed to be male simply because of their weaponry.

The blurred line between fact and speculation fascinated me. What if a lonely researcher, stranded in the Antarctic, stumbled upon something that challenged their perception of reality? What if their own isolation and subconscious fears dictated the story they believed? As their mind unraveled, so too did the illustrations - becoming increasingly frantic, reflecting their descent into paranoia.

The Power of Isolation and Moon Madness

Many real-life explorers have reported strange experiences in extreme isolation. The Third Man Factor, for example, describes how some feel an unseen presence guiding them in times of distress. Others experience auditory hallucinations - whispers in the wind, phantom footsteps in the snow. I wanted to capture that sense of doubt and eerie uncertainty in No Man’s Land.

Another crucial element is the moon. Inspired by the concept of moon madness, I used it as a central motif throughout the story. As the protagonist’s grip on reality weakens, the moon becomes an almost sentient force, guiding them and taunting them.

Failed Polar Expeditions: The Fate of HMS Terror and Erebus

Another major inspiration for No Man’s Land was the disastrous fate of the HMS Terror and Erebus, ships from the ill-fated Franklin Expedition. Trapped in Arctic ice in the 1840s, the crew suffered from starvation, scurvy, and, as more recent research suggests, lead poisoning from faulty canned food. This poisoning can cause severe neurological symptoms, including paranoia and hallucinations. As a result, some of the men may have experienced the same kind of psychological unraveling that my protagonist undergoes in the story.

Being ice-bound in an inhospitable landscape, cut off from help, and slipping into madness - these historical events deeply informed my exploration of isolation and delusion in No Man’s Land.

Mysterious Legends of Antarctica

Although Antarctica is largely uninhabited, myths persist about lost civilizations beneath the ice. Conspiracy theories suggest ancient ruins buried under glaciers, while some researchers speculate that Polynesians may have once set foot there. My story plays with this idea - what if an Arctic civilization had existed? And what if our protagonist’s perception of reality twisted their findings into something entirely different?

Animals Mistaken for Monsters

The creatures in my story are, in fact, a mix of different penguin species. But I wanted the reader to experience them through the protagonist’s skewed perspective: shadowy figures, braying calls that sound unnervingly human, objects left as “gifts” that may or may not be meaningful. The mind, when isolated, is capable of turning the ordinary into something terrifying.

The Uncertainty of Interpretation

Much like how archeologists piece together history from incomplete artifacts, the protagonist of No Man’s Land pieces together a narrative from scattered footprints, distant figures, and cryptic sounds. But is the story they construct the truth? Or just the one they need to believe?

The moon, ever-present, becomes their only measure of time - a silent observer to their unraveling mind. The deeper they descend into their paranoia, the more their understanding of reality shifts. Perhaps they’ve discovered something profound, or perhaps they’ve simply lost themselves in the void of the ice.