Daniel J. Wilson begins the interview discussing his youth in rural Nova Scotia. He discusses his parents' "back to the land" ethos, his education, and his studies abroad. He analyzes how these experiences impacted his values and creativity. He discusses his work on documentaries, his 9Y40 taxicab art project, and his doctoral studies on the Intention-Behavior Gap. Wilson describes meeting Martin A dolfsson through the New Museum's New INC incubator and the initial brainstorming around the MINUTIAE app. He muses on the performative nature of conventional social media, the retention of the everyday memories, and looking into other app participants' lives. Wilson closes considering the MINUTIAE's current state, the appeal of archiving the app, and the app's future
Artists; Doctoral students; Mobile apps; Application software--Development; Art and technology; Social media and society; Technology--Social aspects; Wilson, Daniel J., 1977-; New Museum (New York, N.Y.)
Format
oral histories
Genre
Interviews
Date
2021
Physical Description
14 pages
Note (Biographical)
Daniel J. Wilson was born in 1977, and he grew up near Pictou, Nova Scotia. An artist, filmmaker, and academic, his work has encompassed intersections of art and technology. He has worked on the episodes "Separate and Unequal" and "A Death in St. Augu stine" for the PBS documentary program Frontline. He has also worked on Showtime's The Circus, and he was editor and co-director on the short film Alvaro. He has done art projects across various media, including the 2013 project 9Y40, which found him driving a New York City taxicab and recording conversations. The "anti-social media" app MINUTIAE that he created with Martin Adolfsson documents the ordinary moments of participants' lives. It asks them to take one picture a day through a 1440-day cycle, representing each minute of a full day. The app also brings participants together momentarily by having all participants take photos at the same time and momentarily sharing photos between participants. In 2017, Wilson attained his M.A. and began pursuing his PhD at the Decision Neuroscience Lab at the University of Toronto. His academic work examines the Intention-Behavior Gap in the digital era. His research has examined subjects such as online advertising and healthy eating and has used tools such as machine learning and fMRI neuroimaging
Note
Interviewed by Kimberly Springer on September 17, 2021