A Journal of Insomnia lets its audience experience sleeplessness, if only for one night. The interactive documentary requires that visitors make a nighttime appointment to explore the site. Limited functionality is available during waking hours, but between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m., A Journal of Insomnia comes alive with the confessionals of more than 2,000 insomniacs. Website visitors experience a sleepless night alongside one of four protagonists—all insomniacs—who share stories of their experiences with the disease.

A Journal of Insomnia is a product of crowdsourcing. Insomniacs responded to targeted Internet advertisements by submitting stories, imagery, and webcam videos to a National Film Board of Canada website. During the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival Storyscapes exhibition, the A Journal of Insomnia team continued to explore the project’s participatory dimensions by creating an interactive installation where visitors were prompted to record remembrances about their own experiences with insomnia.