In 1999 Toirkens initiated a project called Nomadslife, in which he documents the life of the last nomadic people of the Northern Hemisphere. In 1999 he became fascinated by the nomad families high in Turkey's Bolkar Mountains where he encountered the way of life of the Yörük, who were struggling with the pressures of a modernising Turkey. In the years to follow he visited other originally nomadic peoples in Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, Finland and Greenland. In 2005 and 2006 he spend time with the Sámi and the Nenets peoples in Russia.

In 2011 his book Nomad was published by Belgian publisher Lannoo. With this book Toirkens creates a diverse and often poignant picture of nomadism in the 21st century. In 2011 NomadsLife was awarded with the prestigious CANON prize for the best innovative photostory.

During this Lecture Toirkens will talk about the extraordinary encounters he had with nomadic families and the hardships he endured to reach the most remote places on Earth.