Rubber Talk | VorKurs HSLU – Lucerne School of Art and Design

Rubber Talks are a series of educational and public events that focus on the social and political dimensions of natural rubber. Together with invited guests and students, the sessions investigate the material through discussion and hands-on experimentation, addressing its ecological, cultural and economic implications.

Alex Amir Khan works across design research, material development and community-based practice. His projects connect field research, craft collaboration and co-creative design activism between Switzerland, Mexico, Brazil and Estonia. As co-founder of HeveaHub, he explores the transformation of natural latex within local economies and its potential as a sustainable, water-repellent and biodegradable material for contemporary design.

In collaboration with Atelier Mangas el Compita and Manga San Gabriel (Veracruz, Mexico) as well as the collective DaTribu on Cotijuba Island, Belém do Pará (Brazil), Khan has developed a growing body of rubberised textiles and experimental material studies. His current research focuses on contemporary applications of natural latex in design and material culture, proposing new ways of making that link traditional knowledge, collaborative production and sustainable innovation.

Supported by Pro Helvetia – Swiss Arts Council, his work engages with universities, cultural institutions and local workshops across Latin America and Europe. In this Rubber Talk, Alex Amir Khan presents the ongoing project LATX Biomaterials, reflecting on how traditional latex techniques can be reinterpreted through collaborative design and material research to address social and environmental challenges today.