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 four Indigenous superheroes - Aqueous, Embers, Terra and Aireus - as they seek to bring Earth back in balance from the excess of human 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 also learn about Indigenous science through the Circle of Life and the four elements and directions. They’ll even learn some key words in local Indigenous languages!
The story
- Sacred Defenders of the Universe explores the altered balance between humility and ego, caused by the internal struggle of all humans. This is known to some Indigenous communities as The Great Conflict of the Thunderbird and the Horned Serpent.
- This adventure follows four Indigenous superheroes 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 rediscover their universal gifts and seek to bring back the balance on Earth between humility, respect for the land and the excessive destruction of human ego, represented by the main antagonist, the Horned Serpent.
- Sacred Defenders of the Universe demonstrates 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.
- Sacred Defenders of the Universe demonstrates that there is a hero inside of us all.
- Within the experience, visitors discover Indigenous science through the Circle of Life, the four sacred elements and directions, and key words in local Indigenous languages. Visitors also interact with the digital story elements, grow plants and mycelium, create waves and wind with their movements, and ignite their senses with sparks and fire.
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: infinite symbol, birthmark
Strengths: Spontaneous and resilient. An empath that leads through emotion.
Gifts: Communicates with fire energy through sparks and smoke, and extreme energy sources like the sun and other star energies.
Special Ability: Spirit Keeper of Time Travel.
Creation Story: Born from the lightning that strikes from the Thunderbird’s eyes and beak, which starts the fire in the nurse log where Terra is later born, many moons later.
Science Connection: Fire can create life when respected, but can destroy when not. Balance is important with the fire triangle, a lesson Embers is still learning.
- Earth
Terra
Direction: West
Colours: Green, brown, black
Symbol: Mushroom on an Earth staff, medicine pouch
Strengths: Inter-connectedness with the Circle of Life, patient, compassionate. Grounded in the four ways of being: spiritual, emotional, physical, and mental.
Gifts: Communicates with earth and tree energies through spores and roots, and connects with mountain ancestors and moment of earthquakes.
Special Ability: Alchemist of Sacred Geometry.
Creation Story: Born from the nurse log which was created by fire, water, and wind elements.
Science Connection: A forest is a community, with trees and life speaking to one another to thrive and adapt. Terra is within this Circle of Life, listing to the wisdom of the trees and circle to maintain this balance.
- Air
Aireus
Direction: North
Colours: yellow, white, grey
Symbol: Golden Feather
Strengths: Respected Community Elder. Understands balance, passes on ancestral wisdom and language
Gifts: Communicates with air energies through wind motion, 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, and results in winds that make us “feel alive.” Aireus connects the winds from all directions.
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.
- Manager of Indigenous Engagement at TELUS Spark Science Centre
Kori Czuy, ᒥᐦᑯᐱᐦᐁᓯᐤ
Kori Czuy, ᒥᐦᑯᐱᐦᐁᓯᐤ, is Cree/Métis Polish, born in Treaty 8 by the banks of the Peace River. Kori is the Manager of Indigenous Engagement at TELUS Spark Science Centre and focuses on bringing together Indigenous multiple ways of knowing to traditional Western science.
As co-creator of Sacred Defenders of the Universe, Kori saw the potential that the story had and brought the opportunity to Spark, to be made into a Digital Immersion Gallery show.
Kori connected the ideas from Justin and Earl with the stories, cultures, and languages from Treaty 7 Lands. Plus, Kori was the lead for ongoing consultations and support from Elders and Knowledge Keepers, weaving in some science along the way!
Sacred Defenders of the Universe was created and built in-house. This Indigenous-led production was created by Justin Jack Bear and Earl Benallie, animated by a team of Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists, and supported by TELUS Spark Science Centre and Supply and Demand, a multimedia company based in Quebec and Alberta. Throughout the production, Spark’s Indigenous engagement team worked closely with local Indigenous community members and the Spark Indigenous Advisory Circle to connect the story with local Treaty 7 stories and lands.
Buy TicketsSacred 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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