1. MY TEXT

For my project, I chose the poem “Insomnia” by the Dutch poet J.C. Bloem (1887–1966).

The poem reflects on the connection between sleeplessness, the passage of time, and the inevitability of death. I was drawn to its quiet, melancholic tone and the way it uses natural imagery—like the flowing of a tide or a woman carrying life and death within her—to express existential thoughts.

The symbolism in the poem inspired me to create a pattern that captures this emotional tension: between calm and unrest, softness and darkness, life and fading.

2. EXERCISE

Before starting the final pattern, we did an exercise where we folded a sheet of paper and drew a central motif.

In my case, I sketched my DJ logo – a playful, scribbled cat. After cutting the paper into four parts and rearranging them, new gaps appeared in the middle. These spaces offered room for additional elements, and I chose to draw a vinyl record to create a direct link to music.

By scanning the finished tile and repeating it digitally, the result is a seamless, infinite pattern that combines personal identity with rhythm and repetition.

3. LITERARY EXPLORATION AND VISUAL DEVELOPMENT

After that, we began working with the literary text.

I chose to work in a linocut-inspired style for several reasons.

The strong contrasts and carved, graphic lines typical of linocut reflect the emotional sharpness and stark imagery found in the poem Insomnia. This technique naturally creates a visual tension between light and dark, echoing the poem’s themes of night, unrest, and mortality. Linocut also offers a handmade, tactile feel, which connects well with the personal and introspective tone of the text.

Historically, linocut became a widely used medium in early 20th-century Europe, especially within the German Expressionist movement (circa 1905–1930). Artist groups like Die Brücke and Der Blaue Reiter embraced printmaking – including linocut and woodcut – to explore powerful emotions, social unrest, and existential themes. These concerns resonate strongly with the world of J.C. Bloem, who lived and wrote during this era.

After an initial phase of visual experimentation and feedback, I refined my direction into a hybrid approach: maintaining the raw, emotional aesthetic of linocut while integrating cleaner, more structured linework to ensure pattern repetition and clarity. This allowed me to balance expression and control – a visual parallel to the duality of the poem itself, where chaos and stillness, life and death, are constantly weighed against each other.

4. MOODBOARD

We created mind maps and moodboards to explore its themes, atmosphere, and symbolism. This helped us develop initial ideas for visual elements and guided us toward a direction for the style and mood of our pattern.

I went for a whimsy looking style with blue tones and golden accents.

5. KEY SYMBOLS AND ICONS

In developing the pattern, I focused on symbolic elements that reflect the core themes of the poem Insomnia: sleeplessness, mortality, and the cyclical nature of time.

I chose five key symbols:

The Eye with a Moon Pupil – representing constant awareness, insomnia, and the quiet presence of night.

The Pocket Watch – a symbol of time slipping away, echoing the poem’s reflections on aging and impermanence.

The Trumpet – inspired by the „clarion call of death“ mentioned in the poem, symbolizing both awakening and finality.

The Scales – referencing the weighing of life and death, decisions and consequences.

The Candle – embodying both illumination and transience, a small light in the darkness that eventually fades.

Each of these symbols was drawn in a linocut-inspired style, creating a visual unity while maintaining the emotional depth of the source material. Together, they form a fragmented narrative – abstract but emotionally resonant – that reflects the restless, reflective state between sleep and consciousness described in the poem.

Also the Star – symbolizing unreachable hope, guidance in darkness, and the eternal distance between dreaming and reality. I used it as a pattern itself but also to fill up blank spaces between the other icons.

7. THE PATTERNS

Based on the selected icons, I created several patterns that visually translate the themes of the poem Insomnia.

Two of the patterns include all six icons – arranged in a structured, repeating composition. These designs bring the full symbolic system together, balancing the tension between chaos and order.

One variation focuses only on the eyes, the pocket watch, and the stars – emphasizing the feeling of sleepless observation and the passage of time under a night sky.

A final, more minimal pattern features only stars, arranged in a gradient from large to small. This piece symbolizes fading dreams, distance, and the slow dissolution of night into dawn.

Through different combinations and visual rhythms, each pattern expresses a specific emotional quality found in the poem: restlessness, introspection, and a search for meaning in darkness.

8. THE INSOMNIA COLLECTION

Inspired by the poem Insomnia, I developed a concept for a curated lifestyle collection designed under the spirit of brands like Not On The High Street. The Insomnia Collection brings together functional and emotional tools that support better sleep, while visually connecting them through symbolic patterns and a cohesive design language.

Part I – Sleep Essentials

• Comfortable pillows that combine functionality with aesthetic depth
• Two bedding variations featuring integrated patterns designed to calm the eye and mind
• Soft, dark sleep masks, printed with selected symbols from the poem’s visual universe
• A dream journal, paired with a matching pen, to record thoughts and dreams before sleep

Part II – Rituals & Atmosphere

• Two pyjama sets designed for comfort and style:

  -One with a long sweater and joggers for colder, cozy evenings

• Fabric scrunchies to complement a gentle nighttime skincare or relaxation routine

• A collection of scented candles, each associated with one of the symbolic icons and featuring custom quotes from the project:

  -Timeless Waiting – the pocket watch, with the quote: "The quiet wait of weightless hours…"

  -Weighing Shadows – the scales, with the quote: "In the quiet hours…"

  Each candle is subtly infused with a scent blend selected to promote relaxation, emotional grounding, and deeper sleep. The packaging design uses the developed patterns as interior accents, offering a visual calmness that reflects the inner themes of the poem.