SHUM is a team of new media artists working internationally with physical art objects, installations and digital content.

Born out of a decade-long friendship, Andrey Gorlachev (b. 1994, new media artist) and Alexander Zhiganov (b. 1998, creative producer) initiated the team's journey in January 2023, and together with 11 like-minded creators, they form the core of SHUM.

Please contact us at shumstudio23@gmail.com — we usually respond within 23 hours.

CV
available for booking
INSERTION LOSS
VIDEO ART 2023


Words are meaningless and forgettable © Depeche Mode

The project title comes from telecommunications, where insertion loss refers to the degradation of a signal during transmission. Human communication suffers from a similar issue – when we translate feelings into words, some meaning is inevitably lost.

Words are fragile carriers of meaning. They shift, distort, and sometimes fail to convey what we truly feel. The challenge of expressing feelings and emotions has always been difficult for humanity. This is especially underscored by the phenomenon of untranslatable words, which cannot be accurately transferred from one language to another. 

For SHUM the text has never been an effective medium. This artwork is our imagination on how people could share their feelings, emotions and thoughts to each other without the use of words. ‘Insertion loss’ combines the tools of sound design, video art, Lev Kuleshov's editing principles and AI to immerse the viewer in a state of brief meditation and co-tuning with the companion.

The work invites viewers to experience a deep state of attunement, where emotions are communicated through audiovisual codes rather than language. Abstract imagery, rhythmic edits, and immersive soundscapes encourage a meditative connection, evoking sensations that exist beyond words. In an era of rapid technological evolution, ‘Insertion loss’ raises questions: Could future technology enable the direct transmission of emotions?



SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

The UMW Media Wall
USA, Fredericksburg
2025

Superlative Gallery
Indonesia, Bali
2024

Digital Dreams Gallery
USA, Kansas City
2024CREDITS

Media Artist – Andrey Gorlachev
Creative Producer – Alexander Zhiganov
Composer – Alexander Shesternin