Offering an artistic "petition of nothing"

Interdisciplinary artist Bolun Shen wants two minutes of silence. Shen is a 2026 MacDowell Fellow who initiated a participatory art project called "The Petition of Nothing" during his January and February residency at MacDowell in Peterborough. As Shen explained, the project involved submitting a formal citizens' petition to the Town of Peterborough to propose the inclusion of two minutes of "silence" in the official Town Meeting agenda. These two minutes were intended to be a poetic pause and recognition of the joy, harm, and limitations of democracy and its processes. On March 5, the Peterborough Select Board officially moved to include this petition (which exceeded the required signatures needed) on the 2026 Town Warrant. At the time of this writing, it faced public discussion at the Deliberative Session on April 7 with a final vote by residents on May 12. In late March ELF reached out to Shen, who had since returned to China, and conducted an email interview to learn more about the project, its inspiration, and the process. His responses, edited for length and formatting, are below. ELF: What was your inspiration for this project? Bolun Shen: My projects are rarely static. They evolve with the context I live in. Once I arrived at MacDowell, my life and the context surrounding me had shifted, and during my second week, a very accidental encounter changed everything. I happened to run into a woman on the Macdowell road through the woods. We ended up talking for over an hour about a wide range of topics. It was only at the end of our talk that she revealed who she was: Bonnie Tucker, one of the three members of the (Peterborough) Select Board. I learned quite a lot about the democratic system in New England. So, the idea of doing something (at) the Town Meeting came to me quite early. Around my fourth weekend, I suddenly realized I should petition for silence. In a democratic order typically driven by proficiency, constant dialogue, and the pressure of problem-solving—inserting two minutes of absolute silence creates a strategic rupture. This interruption is designed to question the very essence of what democracy means. ELF: What was the process you went through? B.S.: My process was defined by a deep, multi-layered immersion into the Peterborough community. I spent time conducting archival research. I studied the Annual Town Reports of various towns including Peterborough and nearby, which I found to be fascinating documents of civic transparency; I spoke to the public, attended Board meetings and visited important community organizations, participated in cultural events and protests, and focused on getting to know Peterborough. ELF: How did it fit into your previous work? B.S.: I aim to evoke a deeper sense of disturbance and emotion throughout the process, placing participants in a position where they must make a choice. That act of choosing, and the emotion it carries, is the very essence of my art. You can see this productive disturbance in action during the Select Board meeting where they deliberated on this petition (youtube.com/watch?v=D7QT5WFc68Y, Timestamp: 1:15:45). ELF: What is the goal that you hoped to accomplish, and do you feel it was/will be attained? B.S.: My goal was not to achieve a specific utilitarian outcome, such as changing a local ordinance or requesting a budget shift. Instead, the primary objective of Petition of Nothing was to broaden the imaginative capacity of the democratic framework itself. Success lies in the fact that we have collectively reopened a once-closed question about what constitutes a public concern, and that question remains open for as long as we choose to discuss it. ELF: How long were you here and how did you first connect with MacDowell? B.S.: I was in residence at MacDowell for six weeks. My journey here began last year when I came across their open call. While I applied with a high regard for the program, the true magnitude of MacDowell's historical legacy only fully resonated with me after I was invited to join this prestigious community. ELF: How did you enjoy your time at MacDowell and in Peterborough? B.S.: My six weeks at MacDowell (January to February 2026) felt like a sacred chapter in my career. It is truly one of the most prestigious artistic sanctuaries in the world. But more importantly, I was deeply moved by the genuine kindness of the people. There is a slowness here that allows for connection. As someone who lives in a world of high-speed efficiency, experiencing this pervasive friendliness was profound. ELF: Were you pleased with the responsiveness of the Peterborough community to your project ideas? B.S.: I was more than pleased; I was deeply moved. The level of support from the Peterborough community was far smoother and more enthusiastic than I had ever dared to imagine. This harmony between an elite artistic residency and the local democracy is something I find fascinating.