The Outdoor Gathering Space and Star Map, featuring the Indigenous Science Team! Photo Creds: Benjamin Gerow
“Indigenous Scientists are the “OG” (original) scientists.” – Telus Spark’s Indigenous Science Page
Through a variety of programs and installations, the team at the Telus Spark Science Centre is bringing back stories, ceremony and first-hand experiences based in the Indigenous ways of learning, where knowledge transfers are based on relationship-making.
Telus Spark currently has two immersive experiences available right now, both in their Digital Immersion Gallery, a floor to ceiling audio-visual experience. Their Quantum Sandbox installation looks at the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, the Wave-Particle Duality, the Higgs Field, the Bose-Einstein Condensate and more, but also how in Blackfoot Knowledges, many of these concepts existed already. The experience looks at how Indigenous science is inter-woven into complex science concepts, and some of the history of that knowledge.
The newer installation is a graphic novel art-style universe called Sacred Defenders of the Universe, which transforms the Digital Immersion Gallery into a comic book. Created by Justin Jack Bear and Earl Benallie, the story follows superhero’s representing the four directions in the Indigenous Circle of Life, Aqueous, Embers, Terra and Aireus. They explore the imbalance between humility and ego, caused by the human struggle. The behind-the-scenes work is all Indigenous-led, from the voice actors, the production company and the animators.
A Snapshot of the Sacred Defenders of the Universe
Photo Cred: Benjamin Gerow
Telus Spark also has an upcoming event on Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21st, which will take place at their outdoor gathering space, called the Solstice Sizzler. But it’s not just random rocks and logs around the fire. The gathering space is an authentically made star map, with rocks aligning with sunrises and sets, stars, including the North Star, which was painstakingly created by a member of the Indigenous Science Team, Kori Czuy. Plans are currently underway for a bit of a face lift, including an overhead canopy that young and aspiring scientists will be able to use to learn more about the suns path during the summer and fall equinox.
There is also plans for what the Indigenous Science Team refers to as “Humility Science”, an authentic bow-making experience that is free for Indigenous youth, and affords them the chance to harvest a tree, design their bow, learn about arrow-making, and even test them out. The humility part comes in after the first test, and we spoke with Kori about that.
We also asked the team about the Indigenous Peoples Day event in June during a sit down at the outdoor gathering place.
We also spoke with team member Alex Flett about a small event they run sometimes, where artifacts are brought from ancestors and family members, to showcase to the public.
More details will be coming out about the Indigenous Peoples Day event, and the Humility Science event here, including more information about the two installations at the Digital Immersion Gallery.
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