<tesseract> research laboratories

Who was Tesseract Research Laboratories?

Tesseract Research Laboratories was founded by Justin Maynard and Cindi Drennan in 1997. They had been working together on the production of interactive multimedia projects in the mid 90's, but saw the creative potential of taking emerging technologies into the realms of live performance and installation. They established their live video performance act in 1997, exploring the use of digital media for live performance and image projection, and immediately tapped into the seething and creative sydney subcultures that were crying from boredom with the unimaginitive club scene.

Working full-time on the project to realise their dream of creating immersive environments and live performance interaction, Tesseract performed as VJs and presented at over one hundred events in the first three years of activity. Blossoming with ideas and inspiration, Tesseract embarked on projects to project images on walls, build screen sculptures, modify hardware, establish VJ networks, hold conferences, tour with bands and produce their own events.

During their most active period Tesseract was recognised as being among Australia's leading improvisational image innovators, presenting distinctive and original live performances involving image projection and screen sculptures.

Tesseract also involved other creative people in presentations, most notably Brian Murray (deceased 2006) who successfully modified the Panasonic MX-12 video mixer to add reversable luminosity keying functionality.

The collaboration called Tesseract terminated in 2004 due to unreconcilable personal and professional differences, and will not be resurrected.

The parent company was restructured in 2007 into Illuminart Productions Pty Ltd (of which Cindi Drennan is sole proprietor). The former partners now pursue their ventures independently.

Cindi Drennan / Illuminart

Justin Maynard

Tesseract thanks the following people for their support:

How did you come up with the name tesseract?

A tesseract is a fourth dimensional geometric shape, which is represented in three dimensional space and time as a 'hypercube'.

It is a complex multi-dimensional shape, sometimes described as "a cube in space and time, in which every face of the cube is actually a doorway to a cube in a parallel universe" and also as "the shadow of a fourth dimensional cube, cast in three dimensional space and time". However you look at it, fourth dimensional geometry is a complex concept for we three-and-a-half dimensional beings to comprehend. For the geometrically and mathematically inclined, a number of links below will take you to further information about the scientific exploration of the tesseract, with some interactive examples and demonstrations.

When we first began working together we spent about two months brainstorming the name amongst ourselves and with friends. Colleague Simon Housego suggested the name Tesseract and it immediately appealed, inspiring our audionvisual explorations of space, time and hyperdimensionality.

VJing is a temporal and interactive art form which we combine with spatial elements of structure, installation, interaction, and information architecture. We research and develop new forms of artistic expression and communication in time and space, and the tesseract represents our endeavours in multi-dimensional presentation.

Where can I see a tesseract?

interactive 4d model
Animated example on mathworld
Build a tesseract - simple applet, excellent demonstration
description of the experience of 4d travel
The Tesseract (or Hypercube) - a guided demonstration
What is a tesseract - laypersons description
Wrinkle in time fan club