During the first site visit, at the location designated for the installation, we found a replica of Galileo Galilei's astrolabe. An astrolabe is a navigation instrument: it allows one to orient from a fixed point by observing the stars. It is an excellent metaphor for a scientific institution that has been navigating knowledge for one hundred years. From this discovery, the concept takes shape: 100 research projects become stars, gathered into 10 thematic constellations, explorable through an interactive astrolabe from the fixed point of the CNR headquarters.

The installation is an interactive sculpture that formally reproduces the astrolabe: a circular rotating platform suspended on a pedestal, with eleven tactile reliefs corresponding to the ten thematic areas and a historical timeline for in-depth exploration. The user rotates the platform by hand and the rotation translates into movement of the virtual celestial sphere projected on screen. Each sector of the sphere corresponds to a thematic constellation; selecting a project, the screen plays the corresponding video, complete with audio, subtitles and Italian sign language translation. A vertical tactile strip on the astrolabe arm allows scrolling through the contents of the selected constellation. The entire interface is designed to be accessible to visitors with sensory or motor disabilities.