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This article discusses the approach to research and creation in collaborative projects between artists, researchers and engineers, from two different perspectives. One is historical (we discuss the protean collaborative work undertaken between artists, researchers and engineers since 1950) and the other starts from a case study (the partnership between the ALIS theatre company and the technological university of Compiègne). These examples of collaborative work suggest a need to rearrange priorities so that the process is highlighted rather than the result, but also the role of the prototype as an object common to artists, researchers and engineers alike. The role of the translator, or intermediary, between these different worlds also emerges as crucial. We offer an initial heuristic model of the framework and the issues addressed by these collaborative projects, the better to grasp their significance.