We all know that software is an important part of everyone’s lives today given all of the things it now powers, from computers to thermostats. But can the programming logic and code behind software be admired not just for its functionality, but also for its aesthetic qualities? Based on the results of a recent art auction, the answer seems to be “Yes.”

The Algorithm Auction, described by its organizers as “the world’s first auction celebrating the art of code,” was held last month. It was organized by Ruse Laboratories with proceeds benefiting the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum and featured lots consisting of, well, software code. The basic motivation behind it, as Ruse co-founder Fernando Cwilich Gil told me via email, was to foster a patronage type of system, as exists in the art world, to support the work of technologists. “The traditional VC model works for many technological ideas, so long as they have a purely commercial application,” Cwilich Gil wrote. “But for many other worthy ideas the current system stifles, disfigures or ultimately kills their essence. Finding the right patron is a powerful alternative that can benefit all parties, but most importantly, advances the idea itself.”

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