El Origen de la Noche (The Origin of Night) is an immersive sound installation by 4Direcciones Audiovisual (directed by Diana Rico and Richard Decaillet) working in collaboration with a group of traditional authorities from indigenous communities of the north-west Amazon, as well as anthropologists, musicians and linguists. Originally commissioned by María Belén Sáez de Ibarra from the National University in Colombia, the work is an assemblage of both archival and new recordings from several indigenous nations in Colombia, all dealing with the Amazonian myth of the creation of night. The sound installation is structured like a “maloca”, a traditional social unit and communal hut integral to many communities of the Amazon. El Origen de la Noche is organized into eight sequential chapters that convey myth and ritual through narration, chants, music, and the sounds of nature.

El Origen de la Noche (The Origin of Night) is a recent acquisition of the Contemporary Art Department. 4Direcciones, El Origen de la Noche (The Origin of Night), 2016. 16-channel sound installation, 134 minutes 4 seconds. Purchased with the Contemporary Art Revolving Fund, 2023-89-1a–c.