"I have elaborated my own definition of Art&Science, which is quite a formal one. It is a field of modern art where people use concepts, scientific practices, methods and modern technologies to create their art objects. This is still part of contemporary art, but from a particular point of view, Art&Science can be seen as something entirely different. I believe that it is what Art&Science will one day become — something more than art, more than science", shares Dmitry Bulatov.

The theorist also expanded on the interesting subject of exhibiting and storing these new art objects: "On the borderline of science and art new art objects emerge — those created with the help of biomedical and information technologies. Art works with metaphors. Art&Science makes yet another step forward — it makes metaphors more complex, more "dense" by giving metabolic features to the artistic media. Those are the features of growth, reproducibility, versatility, and auto-save function. We are yet unfamiliar with such art objects. Just try to imagine a living art object that has to be not just "stored" at a museum, but "maintained" - or even be cared for? Obviously, modern systems for storing and preserving art objects are totally unfit for such tasks."

"Art&Science: Art, Science, Museum" is a collaborative project of the State Hermitage Museum and ITMO University in the field of Art&Science, which is about the interaction between art and science in the modern world and new inventions in artistic and museum practices. The project's participants — scientists, restoration artists and museum curators — speak of the most interesting aspects of art-science interaction.

The program is comprised of eight sessions, each will take place every third Saturday of the month at the General Staff Building of the State Hermitage Museum. Each of the events will be dedicated to a particular subject and will include two science-popular lectures by Russian and foreign experts in art and science. The program will continue until the end of June, 2017. You can get information on the upcoming sessions here.