OASIS OF DeNILE is a 1966 GMC half-ton
truck. Seattle Cartist Jim Simmons rebuilt the Straight Six 250 motor
last summer and put in a new clutch and tranny in preparation for its debut at Burning
Man. Paul Carlson and Howard Gutknecht dreamed up the denial/DeNile pun, setting up an
Egyptian theme.The truck was soon painted with pharaonic motifs and enhanced with
platforms front, rear, and top for fake Egyptians to cavort on. A half dozen palm trees
(made from palm fronds grafted onto giant yucca stalks) added a tropical ambience; all
that was needed to complete the illusion was sand and lots of sun!
(Photo courtesy of Jim Simmons; copyright © 2000 by SASS.)
In the Black Rock Desert of Nevada, Oasis paraded through the sprawling encampments of Burning Man 2000, fully loaded with 32 phoney Pharoahs, 250 gallons of water, and 25 gallons of pre-mixed vodka tonic carried in pressurized carboys. Living up to its name, Oasis misted its passengers with droplets of water sprayed from the trunks of the palms. While Pharoah's cross-eyed courtiers consumed their ice-cold drinks, the 300-watt stereo belted out an inspired mix of Egyptian-theme pop music and scorching funk. As originally conceived the truck was to tow the Pyramobelisk (a mobile pyramid of fabric stretched on a lightweight metal frame) around the festival, but technical difficulties intervened. (Word has it several of the truck’s crew visualized, and then levitated, a much larger pyramid, crowned with a glowing and very bloodshot eyeball, though this account has not been independently confirmed.)
OASIS features a number of technological firsts. The engine requires three cooling fans--two electric units on the radiator and one mechanical fan on the motor. Water pumps for the misting system are manually controlled from the dash. The vehicle also sports four aircraft landing lights with different colored gels for night-time operation. Currently on the drawing boards are an auxiliary fuel tank to extend Oasis' range, and 3-D sphinxes, scarabs, and mummy cases to further develop the Egyptian theme.
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