Dear friends of LAX LAB,
After an unexpected hiatus in 2025, I am pleased to announce that LAX LAB is starting up again in 2026 with a fresh and simplified format and new collaborations on the horizon.
The LAX LAB book club will continue reading literary fiction through the lens of climate change, highlighting diverse voices and perspectives and broadly exploring themes of environmental and social justice. Our reading themes for 2026 are: decolonialism, extraction, and feminism.
We will be reading ten books this year, coming together to discuss works both online and in-person in Oslo, Norway approximately every six weeks. The online discussion dates fall alternately on the 1st and 15th of every month, beginning on 1 March 2026. The hybrid dates will vary but will generally take place around the same time at Deichman Bjørvika in Oslo.
The first book we will be reading in 2026 is Split Tooth by Tanya Tagaq, with discussions taking place online Sunday, 1 March 2026, 17:00—18:30 and hybrid online and in-person at Deichman Bjørvika on Wednesday, 11 March 2026, 18:00—19:30 (Oslo time, CET/GMT +1).
Split Tooth by Canadian Inuit artist and author Tanya Tagaq is the coming-of-age story of a young Inuk girl in the Canadian Arctic of the 1970s. In this beautifully written novel, Tanya Tagaq reflects on land and nature, relationships and relationality, myth and reality.
Our next two books following Split Tooth will be:
Pink Slime by Fernanda Trias (URAGUAY)
15 APRIL 2026
Under the Eye of the Big Bird by Hiromi Kawakami (JAPAN)
1 MAY 2026
LAX LAB will also be collaborating on an exciting new project in Oslo: the Spores book club. The Spores book club is a community-building project in Oslo with a focus this year on artificial intelligence, climate change, and politics. You can follow the Spores activities on Instagram. The first book we will be reading together with the Spores is Arboreality by Rebecca Campbell. Discussions will take place on 16 March 2026 at Deichman Bjørvika in Oslo.
Information about the LAX LAB book club, including book summaries, the schedule, and upcoming books can now be found on the Institute for Art & Environment website. The Institute for Art & Environment is an independent and interdisciplinary research platform leading and collaborating on creative, hopeful, and innovative projects with environmental, social, and urban themes.
Looking forward to meeting and reconnecting in the months to come.
Warm wishes from Oslo,
Emma
LAX LAB librarian