New Collection | Archiving the Everyday: MINUTIAE App Collection – News from Columbia's Rare Book & Manuscript Library

A hand touches the screen of a smartphone displaying a complex, abstract pattern of interconnected lines and dots in various shades of gray and black.

A close-up shows a hand touching the screen of a smartphone. The screen displays a partially eaten piece of toasted bread on a plate. Text on the screen indicates "2019-10-25 11:39" and "New York, United States."

Two large, thick black books are positioned against a plain background. One book stands upright, revealing its spine which has the letters "KS" printed near the top and smaller text below, including "mikoláš rusecký volume I" and "2018.11.27 - 2022.11.05." The other book lies flat, showing its thick stack of white pages. The spine of the flat book also has some text.

A person's hands are shown turning the pages of a large, open book. The left page has text that reads "2021-05-12 12:20:09," "New York, United States," and some smaller, less legible text. The right page features a photograph of a city street scene with buildings, sidewalks, and a tree.

The Oral History Archives at Columbia is excited to announce a groundbreaking addition to our collections: the MINUTIAE app archival collection! This acquisition marks a first for Columbia University Libraries, as we document the complete lifecycle of a mobile application.

MINUTIAE, launched in 2017 by artists Martin Adolfsson and Daniel Wilson, offers a unique counterpoint to traditional social media. Dubbed an “anti-social app,” it prompts users to capture a single photo within a one-minute window each day, fostering a sense of shared experience across the globe.

The archival collection offers a multifaceted view of this innovative app:

The User Experience: A bespoke version of the app, loaded onto an iPhone, showcases eleven participants’ 1440-day photo cycles. A physical book displays one user’s complete visual journey.

Oral Histories with the Artist-Creators: Oral history interviews with Adolfsson and Wilson expore the app’s origins, design philosophy, and development process.

Preserving the Code: We’ve secured the app’s underlying code in a restricted repository, ensuring its long-term preservation.

MINUTIAE emerged from conversations at the New Museum’s New INC incubator, born from a desire to push back on the curated nature of social media. By limiting photo capture to one minute daily and excluding features like profiles and comments, the app encourages a minimalist and intentional approach to documenting everyday life.

This collection is now available for research by appointment at the Oral History Archives at the Rare Book and Manuscript Library, offering valuable insights into digital culture, social media, and innovative forms of personal archiving. The Wilson and Adolfsson oral history interviews are available online to the public without a Columbia University login.