The Allen Institute for Brain Science was founded by Paul G.Allen. Paul, along with his sister Jody Allen, do a lot of philanthropic work, including supporting the arts through their Vulcan Inc ventures. these include the Hospital Club, the London private members club for creative industries.

Last year, Australian designer Brooke Roberts won the Creatives in Residence award at The Hospital Club and then learned about the Allen Institute for Brain Science. "As a radiographer with vast experience in CT brain imaging, I found the Allen Institute Online Brain Atlas images very inspiring. I used the images to create digital knits for my SS12 collection entitled "Woman and Machine" told us Brooke Roberts (photos and video of her SS12 collection below). Brooke presented two dresses from the collection to Jody Allen and she subsequently had the dresses installed in the Allen's Institute Pioneering research facility in Seattle, USA. "This is a wonderful validation and promotion of the links between science and the arts, and in particular for me, the link between medical imaging and fashion" comments Brooke. Apparently the installation has generated much interest from the staff at the Institute. "It's really exciting to hear my work is having an impact outside of the traditional fashion platforms, as this is my aim".