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From Documental Sources to Artefacts. Experiences for the Cultural Accessibility of the Sundial of Palazzo Spada
Tue, July 14, 4:15 to 5:45pm, Edinburgh International Conference Centre, Floor: Level 1, Platform 5English Abstract
Artefacts that measure time testify to the ancient relationship between humankind and the sky, inscribed in the changing light and governed by astronomical references shared across the planet. From a planetary perspective, reading these objects means recognising how each culture has developed its own forms to understand and represent time. Today, digital technologies open new paths for the study and enhancement of material traces that are invisible or difficult to access, transforming them into dynamic interfaces between past, present, and future. Such methodologies encourage interdisciplinarity, integrating historical-scientific expertise with interactive tools for the dissemination of knowledge.
Within this framework lie public outreach activities aimed at improving the cultural accessibility of the catoptric astrolabe of Palazzo Spada, whose scientific and artistic value has endured over the centuries and continues to attract attention. This 17th-century sundial, painted on a vaulted ceiling and illuminated by a mirror reflecting sunlight, is still fully operational. Its complexity, based on projective and astronomical principles, together with its limited physical accessibility, restricts its understanding by a wide audience.
This contribution presents experiences designed to make this object accessible in several exhibition contexts through diverse media and devices, all guided by the principle of “here and there”, illustrative of the relationship between primary source, scientific research, and dissemination.
These experiments have been developed for various events: the European Researchers’ Night (2019–2024), the exhibition “The City of the Sun” (2023–2024) promoted by the Galileo Museum in Florence, and the Rome Maker Faire 2025. Depending on the context, different approaches have been implemented, ranging from guided tours to videos for museum display and a phygital integration of analogue and digital content through web-based augmented reality (webAR).