Abstract. Computer science and art have been in contact since the 60´s. Our hypothesis is that
software engineering can benefit from multidisciplinary research at the intersection with art
for the purpose of increasing innovation and creativity. To do so, we have designed and
planned a literature review in order to identify the existing knowledge base in this interdisciplinary
field. A preliminary analysis of both results of our review and observations of software
development projects with artist participation, reveals four main issues. These are software
development issues, which include requirement management, tools, development and business
models; educational issues, with focus on multidisciplinary education; aesthetics of both code
and user interface, and social and cultural implications of software and art. The identified
issues and associated literature should help researchers design research projects at the intersection
of software engineering and art. Moreover, they should help artists to increase awareness
about software engineering methods and tools when conceiving and implementing their software
based artworks.