This paper is about interdisciplinary collaboration in a higher education context. The authors have investigated their own experiences of interdisciplinary collaboration through reflexive autobiographical narrative writing and co-generative dialogue. The experience of working in a project which brought together students from different parts of the university was analysed with reference to critical readings about interdisciplinary work. The authors have identified moments of boundary crossing or 'nodes of tension' through which relationships were being negotiated and knowledge was being produced. The analysis of these moments shows that interdisciplinary work is intensely relational and dialogic; it takes time and involves significant labour. The authors contend that this labour is essential to building trust and openness to what is unfamiliar, and that universities which seek to promote interdisciplinary collaboration must acknowledge the significant additional work necessary to negotiate nodes of tension.