CHOKA
Installation — Sisal leaves, rope, and sisal mast
Artothèque, La Réunion
2025
Choka is an installation composed of 120 leaves of sisal — or Réunion Island agave — gathered from a ravine in the south of the island.
They are tied with Brazilian sisal rope to the masts of “choka” (or machoka), the stalks of the plant once used as a building material for small-scale architectures, such as "salverts".
Choka installation in Saint-Pierre, Réunion Island, created as part of the Arpentisaz residency.
The choka (or kader) long supported a local economy in the 19th century.
In the commune of L’Entre-Deux, the artisanal making of sisal sandals nourished a popular, family-based craft tradition.
At the same time, sisal rope was produced in pre-industrial workshops, supplying ships during a period of intense maritime activity around the island.
A small sisal industry thus emerged, driven by the ambition of a territory seeking to connect with the world beyond its shores.
Documentary photograph (Instax camera) — from the gathering of leaves to the defibring process at Runfabrik, a workshop dedicated to the reuse of banana fibre.
Native to Central America, Choka — also known as Mauritius hemp — belongs to the Asparagaceae family (formerly Agavaceae).
Introduced to Réunion for its fiber production, it has since naturalized and is now considered an invasive species in many tropical regions, including Mauritius and Réunion Island.
Documentary photograph (Instax camera) — from the gathering of leaves to the defibring process at Runfabrik, a workshop dedicated to the reuse of banana fibre.
Details
Details
Documentation
Philomène Marie, choka artisan, performing the traditional “rapage” (defibring) technique.
Philomène Marie, choka artisan, performing the traditional “rapage” (defibring) technique.
Gathering at L’Art et le Choka — collective braiding session.
Traditional sisal sandal, handcrafted by women artisans from the town of L’Entre-Deux.
Public workshop held during the exhibition, in collaboration with L’Art et le Choka association.
Public workshop held during the exhibition, in collaboration with L’Art et le Choka association.