Cyber Subin

Cyber Subin is a research and performance residency pairing MIT Media Lab assistant professor Pat Pataranutaporn with renowned Thai choreographer Pichet Klunchun to develop a human–AI co-performance that integrates traditional Southeast Asian choreography with machine learning. The collaboration, ongoing since 2023, has produced internationally recognized outcomes, including performances at the National Theater & Concert Hall of Taiwan and the Holland Festival, as well as publications in ACM SIGCHI and the NeurIPS Creative AI track.

This phase expands the existing system to encompass a broader range of Southeast Asian choreographic traditions and implements a more sophisticated multimodal interaction architecture—one in which human performers and AI agents engage in real-time choreographic dialogue. In contrast to AI practices that extract and homogenize cultural material, the project positions AI as culturally situated and ethically grounded, with traditional knowledge embedded through direct collaboration with practitioners.

Klunchun will be in residence at the Media Lab during IAP (January 15–February 15, 2027), leading workshops that introduce Southeast Asian dance vocabulary and movement alongside the technical research. The residency culminates in an informal work-in-progress performance February 8–12, 2027.

More information at MIT Media Lab.

Pat Pataranutaporn is an assistant professor, technologist, researcher, and the founding director of the MIT Media Lab Cyborg Psychology research group. He also serves as co-director of the MIT Media Lab Advancing Humans with AI (AHA) research program.

Pataranutaporn’s research lies at the intersection of AI and human-computer interaction, where he focuses on inventing, investigating, and inspiring next-generation human-AI systems for human flourishing, applying insights from human psychology to AI and understanding how AI impacts human psychology.

Biography: MIT Media Lab
Website: patpat.world

Pichet Klunchun is an internationally acclaimed Thai choreographer and dancer recognized for redefining classical Thai dance for the contemporary world while preserving its core traditions and wisdom.

At age 16, Klunchun began training in Khon (Thai Classical Mask Dance) under Chaiyot Khummanee, one of Thailand’s most respected Khon masters, and developed exceptional mastery of the form before moving toward contemporary creation. After completing his BA at Chulalongkorn University, he began his full-time career as both a dancer and choreographer. In 2010, he founded the Pichet Klunchun Dance Company (PKDC) to create contemporary performances rooted in classical Thai principles and to train a new generation of dancers with strong traditional foundations. For over two decades, he has researched the structures and embodied intelligence of Thai dance, bridging tradition with global contemporary performance. 

Pichet Klunchun’s choreographic works—including Nijinsky Siam (2010), Black and White (2011), Tam Kai (2013), Dancing with Death (2016), Number (2020), and most recently Cyber Subin (2024)—have toured extensively across Asia and Europe. He is the recipient of numerous international awards and continues to create, perform, and lead innovative research in dance, using choreography as a method of cultural inquiry, knowledge production, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Website: pkdance.co
Social: Facebook | Instagram | YouTube

Kornkarn Rungsawang is a Thai classical and contemporary dance artist whose practice bridges the gap between tradition and the contemporary. Born into a family of li-kay folk performers, she embodies multiple Thai kinesthetic systems, from royal court to contemporary forms. Her work explores how rituals, bodies, and relationships can be reimagined to reflect today’s social, cultural, and political environment. Rungsawang received the acclaimed Asian Cultural Council (ACC) Individual Fellowship that afforded her the opportunity to spend seven months of dance research in the United States. During her ACC fellowship, she also participated in the International Choreographers Residency program at the American Dance Festival in North Carolina.

Since 2010, Rungsawang has been a full-time member of Pichet Klunchun Dance Company (PKDC) under the mentorship of choreographer Pichet Klunchun, while developing her own independent works such as Mali Bucha: Dance Offering and her new solo project Riding the Rhythm.

Website: kornkarnrungsawang.com

Piyaporn Bhongse-tong, known as Bo, has dedicated over 20 years to the fashion industry, serving as a fashion designer for the young Thai designer brand FLYNOWIII. She has also spent more than a decade as a costume designer for Pichet Klunchun Dance Company (PKDC), contributing to a variety of projects and international productions. Her extensive experience in both design and coordination has greatly expanded her expertise in art and design.

Recently, Bo has shifted her focus to the digital realm, exploring AR, VR, 3D modeling, and animation, while continuing to work with physical materials through a multidisciplinary approach. She is a key team member in the production Cyber Subin, effectively bridging her traditional design skills with innovative digital artistry.

Website: phycobonita.unaux.com
Social: Instagram | LinkedIn

Phoomparin Mano is a Bangkok-based creative technologist, software engineer, and community builder whose work connects interactive systems, open-source practice, and live performance. As a creative technologist for Cyber Subin, he developed core components of the Open Cybernetic Dance System, translating choreographic principles from Pichet Klunchun’s No. 60 into real-time generative tools through which dancers interact with virtual performers. His practice draws on extensive experience in web architecture, 3D graphics, motion data, WebAssembly, and systems engineering. He is also a co-founder of Creatorsgarten, a collective of engineers, artists, educators, and creative technologists that supports experimental projects and collaborative learning in Thailand.

Website: poom.dev
Social: GitHub

Cyber Subin is a production of Pichet Klunchun Dance Company in collaboration with the Cyborg Psychology research group at the MIT Media Lab, co-produced with National Theater & Concert Hall (Taiwan / TW), Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, the Director General of Culture, and the Director of Film, Music, and Media, BKM (Indonesiana TV) and Indonesia Bertutur (Bali / ID), and Holland Festival (Amsterdam / NL).

Co-creators:
Pichet Klunchun
Pat Pataranutaporn

Pichet Klunchun’s MIT residency is supported with a Visiting Artist grant from the MIT Center for Art, Science & Technology (CAST).

Choreographer/Director:
Pichet Klunchun

Dancers:
Padung Jumpan
Tas Chongchadklang
Chang Hong Chung
King Fai Tsang

Music Director and Composer:
Lamtharn Hantrakul

3D and Animation Creator:
Piyaporn Bhongse-tong

Creative Technologist:
Phoomparin Mano
Chayapatr Archiwaranguprok

Cyborg Scientist/Philosopher:
Pat Pataranutaporn 

Lighting Designer:
Ray Tseng

Dramaturg:
How Ngean Lim

Producer:
Sojirat Singholka

Stage Manager:
Jirach Eaimsa-Ard

Pichet Klunchun’s 2026–27 MIT residency is supported with a visiting artist grant from the MIT Center for Art, Science & Technology (CAST).