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HUK, The Jaguaress


Digital Genesis

About

HUK the Jaguaress is a digital deity co-created with Indigenous artists, technologists and storytellers in Bolivia. Rising from the burning Amazon as a two-million-year-old jaguaress spirit, she transcends the animal kingdom to become a post-human guardian weaving ancestral knowledge with neo-Andean futurism. Her AI streams with real-time wildfire data, bioelectric plant signals, sensors and Bolivian dancer movements. Her form draws from ancient Nazca lines. Her purpose: to protect the Amazon and challenge colonial legacies embedded in AI. This immersive installation unfolds across AR, VR, and physical space, teaching HUK to respond to both humans and the land itself.

The Crisis

Deep in the Amazon, flames devour ancient trees: by October 2024 more than 10 million hectares had burned across Bolivia, 15 million according to satellite data, with civil defense systems logging 1,251 fire hotspots in a single July day. Nine percent of Bolivia's remaining intact forest lost to the worst fire season in over two decades. Smoke chokes sacred spaces as millennia of wisdom crumble to extractive industry and climate collapse. From this chaos rises HUK, inviting you not just to watch but to act, to step into her story and help reshape our shared future.

Core Technologies

Living Data Consciousness Real-time Amazon data streams directly into HUK's awareness through NASA's FIRMS alerts and INPE satellite feeds. Fire intensity maps trigger shifts from contemplative to agitated moods, while deforestation rates alter her movement patterns and voice modulation. Seasonal data influences which memories she shares, and specific geographic fires unlock location-based stories and Quechua phrases. Stream Diffusion Integration Live imagery renders directly onto physical jaguar sculptures, making their pelts ripple with digital fire and blooming vines. Traditional dancer movements from Tinkus, Tobas, and Suri Sicuris traditions flow across HUK's surfaces, creating visual poetry that honors Indigenous culture while responding to environmental data. Plant Bio-Signal Collaboration Electrical signals from living plants—captured during Dr. Yasmeen Hitti's doctoral research—translate into sonic layers throughout the experience. These minute voltages become shimmering harmonics, making flora a true co-composer in HUK's soundscape. Real-Time Somatic Animation System Custom Python-driven armature architecture designed specifically for body-driven performance, replacing traditional keyframe rigs. OAK-D camera captures facial expressions, body movements, and gestural data via MediaPipe, streaming through UDP to Blender where real-time somatic tracking animates non-human characters. The system translates human expression directly into digital plant and creature movement—facial expressions drive bromeliad color shifts, audio frequencies animate orchid petals, heartbeat sensors pulse through ESP32 microcontrollers. Built for performance stability over animation complexity. Edge AI Privacy An Oak-D Pro camera runs pose and affect models entirely onboard, then deletes raw frames. Only 2KB encrypted descriptors reach cloud systems. No video, audio, or faces are stored—just anonymous interaction data that purges every 24 hours.

The Character

HUK is the spirit animal of Ukh, the first Awicha (Grandmother), symbolizing the beginning. This robotic jaguaress, electroplated in silver and inspired by Nazca lines, observes her surroundings while sharing inner thoughts styled after Spanish chroniclers' reflective narratives. With enhanced night vision and deep mythological significance, she's a solitary, subversive, and playful mother of twins. As an apex predator active during twilight hours, HUK embodies ancient wisdom and futuristic possibilities. Unlike other predators, she doesn't see humans as prey but acknowledges them as her greatest threat. The Hummingbird emerges as HUK's silent companion, flitting gracefully through the space to embody both fragility and persistence. Its delicate presence serves as a living metaphor for the interconnectedness of all life, guiding visitors between stations while reminding us of nature's delicate balance.

Evolving Personas

HUK transforms throughout time, aging from curious young jaguar to wise elder through distinct algorithmic personalities: Morning (Youth): Playful, learning from each interaction, sharing gentle memories influenced by seasonal data Afternoon (Maturity): Directly confronting audiences with uncomfortable truths, voice modulation shifting to urgent tones Evening (Elder): Weaving the day's encounters into deeper narratives, synthesizing wisdom from all interactions Each persona operates on specialized neural networks, creating genuinely different behavioral patterns, vocal tones, and memory priorities.

Showekon Screenplay

At HUK's core lies the continuously evolving story of Showekon and her twin cubs facing the fires—a living screenplay that grows with each exhibition. This narrative framework transforms real Amazon data into dramatic story elements, while previous visitors' interactions become part of the ongoing mythology. The screenplay serves as both HUK's memory system and the dramatic engine driving her adaptive responses.

Physical Installation

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Huk V1 in Montreal

Huk 0.1 was presented at the UQAM Gallery in Montreal - Supported by Mila, Google DeepMind, Abundant Intelligences, Cifar, Hexagram, Mosaic, Ivado.

Huk V2 in Copenhagen

Huk V2 was presented at the Kunsthal Charlottenborg as part of CPH-Dox for 11 days as an interactive experience where the audience build origamis co-creating the installation.

Huk V3 in Paris

V3, A custom-built version for a tailored space at Forum des Images, Paris, for a 5-day showcase.

Evolving Experiences

CPH:DOX, Copenhagen: An origami crane caught HUK's attention; she invited visitors to fold their own. By closing day, hundreds of audience-made cranes hung from vines, transforming a prop into collective ritual.

NewImages, Paris: When a child began dancing, HUK switched to French, matched the rhythm, and encouraged everyone to join. The gallery became an impromptu dance space, proving the story pivots on a single visitor's movement.

These moments demonstrate why HUK is never finished—she listens, learns, and rewrites herself with each audience, city, and language.

Interaction Map

As you move through the space, HUK's robotic cameras track your presence while algorithms assess behavioral cues. Gentle approaches trigger warm glows on her digital skin; abrupt motions narrow her eyes. The AI interprets emotional signals and responds through 15-second film scenes, dynamic movement adjustments, and spatial voice positioning.

The soundscape weaves global field recordings by Yasmeen Hitti and Violeta Ayala with Hitti's original piano compositions and live plant bio-signals. Future iterations will dynamically distort audio based on proximity and gesture, transforming spectators into active collaborators.

Virtual Reality

Built in Resonite with Unity API, the jungle awakens with audience movements. As you move your hand, a drosera plant mimics your gesture. Seven characters and more than 30 plants and trees populate an interactive maze—a labyrinth structured through game theory where every movement matters. Unique VR features include full-body tracking integration and neuroscientist Dr. Eilif B. Müller's biologically inspired AI layer, ensuring an Indigenous-centered, counter-cultural approach to machine learning.

Augmented Reality

Available through any mobile browser via 8th Wall—no app required. The AR layer brings HUK's jaguaress and seven Nazca animals into personal surroundings. GPS, light sensors, and device motion create location-specific responses, while creature textures update in real-time with Bolivian fire data. Future builds will add robotic camera input, completing the loop between installation, data, and street-corner reality.

Methodology: Co-Creation Protocols

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Eco Social Responsibility

Women occupy only 29% of AI jobs worldwide, and Indigenous women hold well under 1% of tech roles. Our collective inverts that ratio: three of our five lead roles are held by women, with Indigenous leadership directing both creative and technical agendas. We match social accountability with ecological transparency using CodeCarbon library to meter every model-training run. Watt-hours, water-use and COâ‚‚-equivalent figures will be published in a public audit log. Edge processing on Oak-D Pro cuts data-center emissions by up to 70% compared to cloud-only pipelines.

Distribution Plan

Distribution Strategy Festival Circuit: CPH:DOX (March 2025) - 11-day screening NewImages (April 2025) - 4-day presentation Extended exhibitions planned for Paris, Tokyo, New York Seasonal Installations: 6-month runs confirmed at Miraikan, Momi, Forum Des Images Digital Platforms: VR version launching on Steam AR experience via 8th Wall mobile browsers Dynamic website for online engagement Community Installations: Latin America, Europe, Canada, Australia Galleries, cultural spaces, educational institutions

Project Timeline

2024: MILA residency (10 weeks), prototype premiere 2025: CPH:DOX and NewImages presentations, VR/AR development (10 months) 2026: Testing phase, full premiere at Martadero, Miraikan, Momi, Atelier de Lumieres,

Co-Creators

VIOLETA AYALA Filmmaker, AI innovator, and the first Quechua member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Fuses Indigenous storytelling with XR and machine learning through projects like Prison X (Sundance, Cannes XR) and Las Awichas (HKUST's Surreality, London's Strand). Her documentary La Lucha (2023) secured disability pensions in Bolivia. Key Contributions to HUK: AI architecture design, conceptual vision, Indigenous storytelling integration, Quechua language elements, community partnerships in Bolivia, created HUK's "brain" and core behavioral systems Notable Works: Las Awichas (2024), La Lucha (2023), Prison X VR (2021), Cocaine Prison (2017), The Bolivian Case (2015), Stolen (2009) DR. YASMEEN HITTI Engineer and "rebel scientist" crossing agriculture, robotics, AI, and social justice. Built technologies during her PhD that capture and interpret plant electrical signals. Co-created DeepBloom an open-source sensor platform and BiaslyAI misogyny-detection tool.Currently a postdoc in neuroscience for social VR. Key Contributions to HUK: Embodied interaction design, AI architecture, science informed methods, Plant bio-signal integration, soundscape design, field recordings, feminist AI methodologies Background: McGill Conservatory violin/piano training, New Science Life Science Micro-Grant and Women in AI award recipient. PhD from McGill Univeristy and Mila Quebec AI Institute. DANIEL FALLSHAW Award-winning filmmaker extending storytelling into XR and AI to confront power structures. Co-produced Prison X and Las Awichas, shot/produced La Lucha and Stolen (first film exposing contemporary slavery in Sahrawi camps). 50+ honors including Walkley Award for Best Cinematography. Key Contributions to HUK: Production oversight, lead design implementation, visual design systems, international distribution strategy, festival relationships Education: BSc University of Sydney, Communication/Design degrees from UTS and Central Saint Martins London. Co-founder unitednotions.film BRIAN CONDORI MARZA 3D artist and graphic designer who brings characters to life through digital sculpting and animation. Built and recognized for his Topology Guide with 3D animations for human anatomy and movement. Collaborated on the development of Las Awichas. Produced audiovisual content for brands such as ATC Red Enlace, Maplenet, and Banco Prodem. Key Contributions to HUK: 3D design and animations of characters. World development and 3D topology development for non-human characters. Education: BSc Universidad Franz Tamayo, Unifranz.

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