Big data is one of the defining problems of our time: we are immersed in a torrent of information from scientific discovers, news, social circles, and the devices we carry. The challenge is to distill all this abstract data into userful conclusions. The Data Sensorium was launched in 2011 to foster novel kinds of collaborations to yield new insights. Collaborations are not merely fashionable: they are critical to tackling modern scientific and engineering challenges. However collaborations are typically thought of in terms of bleeding across conventional discipline boundaries. While these 'nearby' interactions (e.g. between physicists and chemists) are undoubtedly valuable, the Data Sensorium instead explores how seemingly disparate disciplines such as the arts and the sciences can interact to mutual benefit.