We started the day off with breakfast at Arthur’s Cafe, and immediately went to class and discussed a case study and worked on our final presentations. The case study discussed PlayPumps, an innovation combining water pump systems and child playground machines for an innovative way to filter and pump water for nations that struggled to have clean water. While a great idea in theory, PlayPumps were a failure because the creators and engineers assumed too many truths to their idea, leading to an inefficient system that led to more difficulties in retrieving water, and a poor outlook on the product as being targeted towards child labor.

Afterwards, we visited the Ireland Museum of Modern Art. Compared to Pittsburgh, the Ireland Museum or Modern Art felt much more casual, with basic white walls and informal displays for each piece. The types of media included physical, interactive, and digital forms. My favorite exhibition was the “Structural Plays”, which was inspired by language, ohgm script, and chess. Afterwards, we walked through the gardens surrounding the Museum of Modern Art, then took a ride on the Dublin bus to Trinity College, to our next stop, the Trinity College Library.

The Trinity College Library houses the Book of Kelles, which contains four of the original copies of the New Testament. Coming from a religious background, it was amazing to see the origins of some of the most important verses in the Bible. Alongside the Book of Kells, the library contained the Long Room, which holds 200,000 of the library’s oldest books within oak bookcases.

Overall, I enjoyed the locations we visited today. The unique layout and art within the Ireland Museum of Modern Art was interesting, and I was entertained by the interactive media available. The Book of Kells display was beautiful, alongside the history within the Long Room and how it ties into the history of Trinity College.