By Katherine Sharpe

Last year, ReadyMade broke the news about the dumpster pools of Brooklyn—a story that quickly grew wings and took off, gathering attention from corners of the mediasphere as varied as the New York Times, BoingBoing, ABC News and NPR. This year Macro-Sea, the company that conceived and built the pools, is back with a new project, a “psychological recycling center” called Glassphemy! (Read the New York Times article about Glassphemy!, here.) And ReadyMade is teaming up with Macro-Sea to sponsor a contest to get our readers involved in the recycling and design process, too.

Not so long ago, in Philadelphia, a meeting of architects and urban planners was convened by the Community Design Collaborative to think of ‘interim uses’ for empty lots around the city. One of the lots in question was always strewn with piles of broken glass. The architects and urban planners furrowed their brows in thought: would it be possible to create a project that would lure people away from their littering ways, converting the lot for more constructive uses?

And then, a brave woman in the audience, Bethany Edwards, said: “What if we just create a place for people to go break glass?”

David Belt was a panelist at that event. Taken by Edwards’ comment, he brought the glass-breaking idea back to his company, Macro-Sea. And that’s how Glassphemy! was born. Part game, part art installation, part mobile recycling center, Glassphemy! is a 20-by-30-foot steel structure lined with bulletproof glass. A person standing on one side can throw bottles at a friend or enemy who is standing in safety behind the clear wall on the other side. Satisfying crashes and bright lights ensue upon impact. Glassphemy! is about relieving psychological tension, having fun, and getting your recycling done all at the same time.

The project was brought to life by Macro-Sea, the same group behind 2009’s mobile Dumpster pools. Glassphemy! is opening on May 20 at the Dumpster pool lot in Gowanus, Brooklyn. The bottles that are broken there will be recycled on site. When the installation is through, the Glassphemy! structure will be broken down and recycled or moved to a new location.

To honor the spirit of innovation and smart material re-use, and to keep the conversation and ideas flowing, ReadyMade is teaming up with Macro-Sea to offer the Glassphemy! contest. Submission details.

Read the New York Times article about Glassphemy!, A Smashing Idea: Eco-Friendly Aggression and watch the video.