LAX LAB 2.0 | school of climate fiction

THE ORIGINAL LAX LAB

LAX LAB 2.0 is the re-incarnation of LAX LAB, which was a creative laboratory led by Emma Arnold, active between 2018 and 2023, and formerly hosted at the University of Oslo. LAX LAB was an exploratory space for various academic and artistic experimentations, such as a photographic study of climate activism and artistic-activist practices including a performance travelling from Oslo to London by train.

One of the most successful activities of the original LAX LAB was a climate fiction book club, which was launched during the pandemic as a way to stay connected through the isolation of lockdown and to spark conversations on the climate crisis through literature.

The diverse participants spanned three continents and included academics across a range of disciplines as well as architects, activists, artists, environmental scientists, students, teachers, translators, and more.

In small groups, we explored classic and contemporary works of fiction, with emphasis on climate fiction, science fiction, and speculative fiction. We took these works as departures to discuss the climate crisis, visions of the future, and the ongoing pandemic.

Together we read and discussed 12 novels from all over the world by a range of authors, from the Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler to Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice. The book club was an experiment in how we might think through prescient issues with art.

The book club was featured in an article on climate fiction by Anna Colivicchi for euronews.