Performative lecture by philosopher Ainārs Kamoliņš and actor Klāvs Mellis.
Meditations on Transplantation is a performative discourse that examines the transformation of humans into plants in historical and theoretical context. Ovid's Daphne, Shakespeare's Lavinia, or Philip K. Dick's soldiers are just a few examples from literature that describe the metamorphosis of humans into plants. Such transformation can be interpreted from both positive and negative perspectives. In the negative case, plants indicate a lower ontological or social status, such as vegetating, becoming "vegetables," the blooming Latvian maidens mentioned in the national anthem, and similar botanical metaphors—plants are often defined as beings lacking certain qualities of "higher beings," such as movement or intellect. On the other hand, from a positive viewpoint, metaphorically becoming a plant can signify an alternative and different possibility of life.