[12] During this period Van Hove became "known as a poet and avant-garde calligrapher … with projects that involve drawing improvised poetry in unusual modes and locations worldwide" [13] He also collaborated with musicians such as David Hebert and Kenji Williams.
[14] He also conducted artist talks (which calls “story-telling objects” or “oral exhibits”) in venues as different as Ramallah, the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, the Darat al Funun in Amman, and the University of Sarajevo.
In the space of nine months, van Hove gathered around him 42 master craftsmen from the region and began rebuilding a Mercedes 6.2L V12 engine using rural materials and centuries old craft techniques from the North African country.
While the Fulgura was entirely manufactured in Morocco to the exception of its engine, the artist decided to try and reproduce that cutting-edge component locally using craft, which accounts for 20% of the country’s work force[18] and he saw as an unjustifiably neglected part of the national industry.
[22] In the following years, many more sculptures came out of Atelier Eric van Hove including D9T (Rachel’s Tribute) in 2015, and Mahjouba I in 2016, which is a functioning replica of a Chinese electric motorbike using traditional African craft.
The Initiative relies on two main facts: the presence in Morocco of nearly three million craftsmen whose trade is increasingly threatened by globalization, and the Noor Power Station Project by which the north African country plans to generate 42% of its energy from renewables by 2020.