This paper provides some examples demonstrating the value for industry of funding and working with artists on research projects. It discusses how art research and industry can mutually benefit from working together at the research and development level. While artistic practice has long been recognized for its innovation and creativity, the potential of artistic research and the collaborative nature of artistic practice are currently underutilized by high-tech industry.

Ecce Homology, a physically interactive new-media work, visualizes genetic data as calligraphic forms. A novel computer-vision user interface allows multiple participants, through their movement in the installation space, to select genes from the human genome for visualizing the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST), a primary algorithm in comparative genomics. Ecce Homology was successfully installed in the UCLA Fowler Museum, 6 November 2003–4 January 2004.

As our civilization continues to dive deeper into the information age, making sense of complex data becomes critical. This work takes on this challenge by means of a novel method based on complete inter disciplinarity, design process and built-in evaluations. The result is the design, construction, testing and deployment of data environments supporting real-time decision-making in such diverse domains as anesthesiology and live art performance. Fundraising success, technology licensing, market implementation and many live art performances provide evidence of the great potential of committed interdisciplinary work for advancing science, art and technology while benefiting society at large.