Pichet Klunchun goes back to the future at new Bangkok venue

Infrastructure – specifically lack of rehearsal and performance space – remains a crucial problem for the development of Thailand’s performing arts. While the Culture Ministry has a plan to develop a large performing arts centre next to Thailand Cultural Centre, which currently has only one large and one medium-sized venue, it has remained a plan for the past six years. As a result, artists have been using galleries, cafes and all over the city to stage their works, while audiences make trips, no matter how difficult, to enjoy them.

One good piece of news is that performing arts is among three new targets for the government’s soft power campaign, and the president of its subcommittee is none other than the internationally acclaimed dancer and choreographer Pichet Klunchun. The John D Rockefeller III award laureate had more good news to share with The Nation.

“The family of Mom Ratchawong Chalermchatri Yukol [film and series subcommittee president] have turned their film studio at Asvin Pictures near Bangkok’s Bo Be Market into a new contemporary arts space for art exhibitions, performances, film screenings and other cultural activities.”

The city’s newest performing arts space will be opened by Pichet Klunchun Dance Company’s performance of “Tales of the Asvin City: Ngo and Rojana” this weekend.

“This Ram Sat Chatri dance is inspired by the Lakhon Nok performance in the 1969 Thai film ‘Lakhon Re’ (‘The Road Show’) produced by Asvin Pictures and directed by Prince Bhanubandhu Yugala,” Pichet explains.

“In the film, Pho Khru [Grand Master] Thap, a theatre troupe leader, faces challenges from the influx of western civilisation, including one of his actors moonlighting as a nightclub singer. Likewise, with our extensive tours abroad, one can say that our company is a travelling troupe [‘Lakhon Re’] and that Pho Khru Pichet is facing challenges from technology and artificial intelligence. As in the film, we’ve found that no matter what happens amid these challenges, we can never forget our Thai roots.”   

Pichet described how his company’s latest performance draws connections between the past and present and film and theatre: “At 6.30pm we’ll start screening the film ‘Lakhon Re’ on the second floor amid the impressive display of filmmaking equipment. The audience is also welcome to walk up to the third floor where our dancers will be getting ready for ‘Ngo and Rojana’. This is the same space where National Artists like Sodsai Pantoomkomol, Patravadi Mejudhon and Janaprakal Chandruang gave acting classes to aspiring movie actors decades ago.”

Pichet and his company have been interested in the relationship between arts and technology since before the pandemic. Their “Cyber Subin” – described as “a re-imagination of classical Thai masked dance theatre Khon through the lens of cybernetics” – premiered earlier this year at the Taiwan International Arts Festival (TIFA) and will travel to Europe next year.

In “Tales of the Asvin City: Ngo and Rojana”, images of performers will be captured, processed, enhanced and then displayed in a 3D gallery format.

Next weekend, Pichet will step further: for his solo lecture-performance “1923-2023”, the Silpathorn artist will survey 100 years of Thai dance in a conversation with ChatGPT in front of audience members in an intimate set-up.

“The real, virtual and spiritual worlds are not parallel, but overlapping. I’m more interested in finding how we and our traditional culture can work with technology and AI than judging whether they’re good or bad for us. As we talk to ChatGPT, we are creating the future of AI, but the question is how we should define the rules and regulations as these will also from our future. The data we’re feeding it will be in the global database, and we have to make sure it’s correct, accurate and clear.

“ChatGPT doesn’t exactly know who it’s talking to, though. One day, I asked it to suggest a contemporary approach to classical arts and it recommended that I should check out Pichet Klunchun’s works.”
 As such, this highly anticipated solo performance sounds more like a duet with humanity’s new dance partner, AI.

“Tales of the Asvin City: Ngo and Rojana” is at Asvin Cultural and Contemporary Art Space (9 Nakkarat Road), near Bo Be Market, from Friday to Sunday (November 15-17), 7pm.

Parking is limited but the space is accessible by public transport: It’s a 500-metre walk from Khlong Saen Saeb ferry’s Bobae Market pier and 1.3km from MRT Wat Mangkon station.

“1923-2023” runs at Asvin City from November 22 to 24, with intimate shows for 15 guests only on Friday at 6.30pm, Saturday at 3pm and 6.30pm, and Sunday at 3pm.  

Tickets for both shows are Bt1,000 and available at https://shop.line.me/@asvin. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/@pklifework or www.facebook.com/asvinbangkok

Photos courtesy of Pichet Klunchun Dance Company and Asvin Cultural and Contemporary Art Space.