Khon maestro sharpens an old art's edge and marches into battle against global warming

"The message is how we can still make use of what's considered old and obsolete," says Pichet Klunchun, the world-renowned exponent of Thai dance. He's speaking about the vision behind his new solo performance, "Recycle".

"I was inspired by the campaigns against global warming - ditching plastic bags and setting the air-conditioner at 25C, for example. But I think there are deeper issues to explore - you're not going to save the world just by using cloth bags, are you?

"I came to the realisation that culture has to be recycled as well."

Pichet is no stranger to this idea. Initially trained in khon, he has updated the Thai masked dance using various modern dance and theatre disciplines. With his recent trilogy of works - "PK and Myself", "I Am a Demon", and "About Khon" - he has given new life to this classical Thai art, introducing it to an international audience with performances across Asia, Europe, Australia and North America over past the four years.

"Audiences will probably find that 'Recycle', with its ideas about the environment, is broader in scope and perspective than my previous works."

The recycling process

"The first scene is titled 'Rethink'," explains Pichet.

"On stage will be scores of khon masks, adorned with signs that read 'National heritage' and 'Please do not touch'. The scene is set to resemble a museum, with me as a man sitting there growing older and older. It's meant to show that our ideas of cultural preservation in this country need rethinking - and quickly. Otherwise, we'll soon be in big trouble.

"In the following scene, 'Rewind', I'll dance in a strictly classical style to a kiew [courting] melody. Here, for about four minutes, I'm asking the audience to look carefully at our classical art. Next is 'Reconstruct', in which the same melody is performed on piano by Sinnapha Sarasas, and my movements change accordingly. It's like, say, using the wood from an old cupboard to make a new piece of furniture.

 "The next scene, 'Refresh', reveals truths of the here and now in our society, culture and environment - not through dance movements, but in texts projected on a screen. The last scene lays out seven central ideas for recycling, which is why I've used 'Recycle' as the piece's title. Here, using real objects, I'll show how we can make use of those extra rubber bands we have in our kitchens," Pichet says.

XTRA

One night only

>> "Recycle" will be performed at 7.30pm tomorrow at the Alliance Francaise Auditorium, 29 South Sathorn Road.

>> Tickets are Bt400 (Bt250 for students and Alliance Francaise members), and are available from the Alliance Francaise Library.

>> Call (02) 670 4231 or visit www.PKLifework.com and www.Alliance-Francaise.or.th.