AS SEEN ON TV // Getting Stuck With Renegade Brooklyn Maker Chris Hackett

In 1998 Chris Hackett founded the Madagascar Institute, an infamous art collective in Gowanus that specializes in "large sculptures and rides, live performances, and guerrilla art events" and touts the slogan "Fear is never boring." A sampling of their endeavors include flaming soccer, massive art parties and a jet-power carnival ride, which was a hit at last year's Maker Faire.

Hackett, it's safe to say, is not your typical artist. Or engineer. Or professor (he also teaches at NYU.)

At 3rd Ward, we don't normally tell you to go watch TV, but this August Stuck With Hackett debuted on the Science Channel and we've been quietly obsessed ever since. The show follows Hackett as he gets himself "stuck" in different deserted locations, from an abandoned rail yard or aviation junkyard to an old WWII munitions factory. He then takes whatever materials he can find (which he calls "obtainium") and does what he does best: make mindblowing things out of seemingly worthless junk.

On the Stuck With Hackett blog Hackett provides a behind-the-scenes look at his show through both photos and his blunt but highly entertaining writing. For example, in his latest entry he describes how his most recent episode included cooking with thermite, turning a potato gun and hot water heater into a french fry machine, and hurting himself "pretty badly" with a plasma torch.

Stuck With Hackett airs Thursdays at 10:30pm on the Science Channel and there are three new episodes coming up on 9/29, 10/6 and 10/13. If you haven't been able to catch any of the previous episodes, don't worry—there are reruns! In the meantime, head to his blog or try your hand at a Hackett puzzle.

Curious about what Hackett's up to in the image above? Hit to jump to find out.

-- John Ruscher