OPENING SEPTEMBER 12, 2025
Sacred Defenders of the Universe
The latest digital immersion experience at TELUS Spark.
Sacred Defenders of the Universe transforms the 3,000 square-foot Digital Immersion Gallery into a graphic novel universe that follows superheroes of the Four Directions - Aqueous, Embers, Terra and Aireus - as they journey to bring Earth back in balance through the thunderbird, from the excess of ego, represented by the Horned Serpent.
Visitors will become immersed in the story, interacting with each of the four elements, creating waves and wind, playing with sparks and fire, and growing plants and mycelium. Guests will learn about Indigenous science through the Circle of Life, the four elements and directions, and local Indigenous languages.
The story
- Sacred Defenders of the Universe explores the imbalance between humility and ego, caused by the internal struggle of all humans. This is known to some Indigenous communities as The Great Conflict between the Thunderbird and the Horned Serpent.
- This adventure follows four Indigenous superheroes of the Four Directions that connect with the Earth’s four sacred elements: Water, from the East (Aqueous); Fire, from the South (Embers); Earth, from the West (Terra); and Wind, from the North (Aireus).
- Through the story, the four Indigenous superheroes reconnect with their universal gifts and journey to restore the balance on Earth between humility, respect for the land, and the excessive destruction of human ego, represented by the Horned Serpent.
- Sacred Defenders of the Universe teaches everyone that there is a hero inside of us all.
The digital experience
- Sacred Defenders of the Universe is a graphic novel adventure that bursts off its pages and comes to life as an expansive sensory experience for all ages.
- This experience is hosted within the Digital Immersion Gallery at TELUS Spark Science Centre, a 3,000 square-foot space that transforms into a vibrant floor-to-ceiling audio-visual journey.
The Characters
- Water
Aqueous
Direction: East
Colours: Blue, green, white
Symbol: Blue water orbs, pendant necklace.
Strengths: Natural leader, patient, intuitive, leads with heart, emotions, and mind.
Gifts: Communicates with water energy through rivers, tides, and moons.
Special Ability: Portal Keeper of Multiverse.
Creation Story: Born from the Thunderbird’s tears.
Science Connection: Water is sacred, it is the life source of all living beings. Water is the connector between land and air through the water cycle, as well as the connector between this world and the spirit world through ceremony and vision.
- Fire
Embers
Direction: South
Colours: Red, purple, black
Symbol: Infinity symbol
Strengths: Spontaneous and resilient. An empath that leads through emotion.
Gifts: Communicates with fire energy through sparks and smoke. Connects with powerful energy sources like the sun.
Special Ability: Spirit Keeper of Time Travel
Creation Story: Born from the lightning that strikes from the Thunderbird’s eyes and beak, igniting the fire in the nurse log where Terra is later born, many moons after.
Science Connection: Fire creates life when respected but destroys when it’s not. Balance is important with the fire triangle, a lesson Embers is still learning.
- Terra
Terra
Direction: West
Colours: Green, brown, black
Symbol: Mushroom on an Earth staff, medicine pouch
Strengths: Deeply connected with the Circle of Life, patient, and compassionate. Grounded in the four ways of being: Spiritual, Emotional, Physical, and Mental.
Gifts: Communicates with Earth and tree energies through spores and roots; connects with mountain Ancestors and the energy of earthquakes.
Special Ability: Teacher of Sacred Geometry
Creation Story: Born from the nurse log, many moons after the Thunderbird ignited the first fire.
Science Connection: A forest is a large community, where trees and plants communicating with one another, through mycelium networks, in order to thrive and adapt to ongoing flux.
- Aireus
Aireus
Direction: North
Colours: Yellow, white, grey
Symbol: Golden Feather
Strengths: Respected Community Knowledge Keeper. Understands balance, passes on Ancestral Wisdom and Language.
Gifts: Communicates with air energies through wind, chinooks, and tornadoes. Breathes life into all living things.
Special Ability: Keeper of Star Knowledge.
Creation Story: Born from the Thunderbird’s breath and wings.
Science Connection: The rotation of the Earth creates motion of air and water, resulting in winds that make all feel alive and be humble
The Creative Team
- CREATOR
- Sacred Defenders of the Universe
Justin Jack Bear
Justin Jack Bear is a Metis-Anishinaabe Scottish-English Canadian entrepreneur living in Canada. “Jack Bear” is a trade name honouring all of his cultures. He is a proud member of the Garden River First Nation in Ontario.
Justin is a former varsity athlete, now wears many hats, and founded Jack Bear Legacy Pictures based in Vancouver, BC. He works in the film, entertainment and media industry, supporting and producing original indigenous stories from across Turtle Island. Justin co-created the series Sacred Defenders of the Universe (SDOTU) as an invitation for Indigenous peoples and communities to come forward and collaborate with their stories in an educational and entertaining way.
The mission behind the SDOTU series is to include and highlight the diversity and uniqueness of Indigenous peoples and nations from across the Americas – helping to immortalize the languages, oral histories and traditions through digital media for all future generations on Earth to acknowledge.
- CREATOR
- Sacred Defenders of the Universe
Earl Benallie
Earl Benallie was born in Vancouver, British Columbia and is part of the Ktunaxa and Navajo nations. In a small First Nation community located near Cranbrook, where he lived until he finished high school. For the next 19 years, Earl lived on the lands where the Kootenay and the St. Mary’s River merge, now called ʔaq̓am.
For more than three decades, Earl has been writing in personal journals, creating poems and stories. To keep his mind clear, he turns to writing as his cathartic way of passing on the emotions he deals with to be alive on paper. Today we get to see some of these stories explaining what is happening around him using some of the elements.
In the coming years, he will help others by challenging themselves and channel their creativity to new heights and greater expectations. Earl was featured in the media sharing his rainwater harvesting plans on APTN in 2012 and many news outlets talking about creating a first nation superhero series. He successfully launched his own company called, Rain-Cycle: Irrigation systems and Solutions, to promote rainwater harvesting and its benefits. Earl hopes to install rainwater harvesting systems all over First Nation communities to help offset their demand for freshwater shortages.
With his extensive water knowledge in the irrigation industry and a unique cultural connection to Rainwater Harvesting, Earl has found that over the years working with water, one thing is clear, every drop counts.
Sacred Defenders of the Universe was created and built in-house. This Indigenous-led production was thought up by Justin Jack Bear and Earl Benallie, guided by local Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers, animated by a team of Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists, and supported by TELUS Spark Science Centre.
Throughout the production, the Indigenous Science team at Spark worked closely with the Spark Indigenous Advisory Circle and local Indigenous community members to guide the stories in a good way.
Sacred Defenders of the Universe Credits
FAQ
TELUS Spark Science Centre presents Sacred Defenders of the Universe. Created by Justin Jack Bear and Earl Benallie. Based on a Jack Bear Legacy Pictures Original Series Experience adaptation. Design and production by Supply & Demand. Immersive technology solution created by Supply & Demand.
The Sacred Defenders of the Universe digital immersion experience was made possible through the generous support of Prairies Economic Development Canada, the Government of Alberta and Canadian Natural Resources Limited.
TELUS Spark Science Centre gratefully acknowledges the City of Calgary, the Government of Alberta and the Government of Canada for their support of Phase One of the Good Chemistry Campaign. Le Centre des Sciences TELUS Spark reconnaît avec gratitude la Ville de Calgary, le Gouvernement de L'Alberta et le Gouvernement du Canada pour leurs support de la Première Phase de la Campagne Good Chemistry.
Indigenous Science
Science is often taught and learned from a global science worldview, but there are many ways of knowing science through the land and Indigenous stories.
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