THE TRUCK
Arcadia has a long history of repurposing industrial and military hardware for positive change, from scanning units and jet engines into spiders, and dock yard cranes into whole new worlds. Now we intend to transform a 1974 Mercedes riot control vehicle into an all terrain mobile well drilling unit.
I PREDICT A RIOT!
Built in 1974, the truck started life in East Germany as a riot control truck! It was fitted with protective shielding and featured a roof top high-powered water cannon that was used to suppress protestors
ALMOST FAMOUS
By the end of the 90’s the truck’s military career was over and it was purchased by Keith Allen to use in the film Bear’s Kiss.
A WHOLE NEW WORLD
Fast forward to 2008 where two men in their early twenties – Pip Rush and Bert Cole, strike a deal with Michael Eavis to build a new installation at Glastonbury Festival. This was the birth of Arcadia and our first stage the Afterburner!
GOING FOR GOLD
The truck’s next home was with industrial art and performance group the Mutoid Waste Company.
It was mutated into the Clocks Truck – an elegant mechanical, sculptural piece that was used in the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Summer Paralympics. The Clocks Truck featured aerial artists Lyndsay Care and Denis Remnev performing a strap act.
DOING THE ROUNDS
2013 saw the truck in use back at its old haunt of Glastonbury Festival – this time as a Trade Waste Parade vehicle – helping build sculptural structures and then parading them around the site.
FINAL DESTINATION
When Arcadia Reach first heard about the Sierra Leone well drilling project with Rory’s Well, we knew the exact machine for the job. 2019 saw the truck’s final transformation into an all terrain well drilling rig. Arcadia Reach are proud to bring this truck full circle – from a piece of military machinery used to suppress protest with water cannons, to a life-saving piece of equipment bringing water to people in a nation recovering from years of civil war.
Please support our crowd funder to help fund this vital, life giving mission!
WHY DONATE?
WHAT ARE YOU DONATING TO?
Direct action that integrates directly into communities at a grass roots level
Kick starting a self sustaining development cycle
Supporting environmentally sustainable agriculture
Working with and learning from local culture and traditions
Save lives
Donate now to come with us on this journey and get involved with your skills and ideas
WHERE DOES YOUR MONEY GO?
We want to deliver the best possible outcomes for all of our projects and understand how important transparency is to everyone who supports us.
Arcadia Reach is a non profit community interest company based on volunteer time, while occasionally remunerating specialists for extra efficiency.
All of our projects are well budgeted and monitored to maximise the potential of the funds we receive.