Erica Felicella to Perform Endurance Piece 'Journey' this Weekend to Represent Life’s Burdens

Performance artist Erica Felicella will share her newest endurance piece, "Journey," this Saturday at the Main Street Garden Park.

Felicella created "Journey" as an invitation for others to join her on a physical representation of the journey we all take in life and the weight that comes with it. Her goal is to show that the voyage and burdens that humans experience are shared.

To represent this, Felicella will walk a loop around Main Street Garden Park, signaling the passage of time. She will wear a yoke, which was specifically made for this performance.
“It’s a beautiful yoke,” Felicella says. “I wanted something that represented hard work, something that is a known apparatus for getting the job done.”

As she makes her way through the park, guests will be able to add or take away stones from the yoke — adding to or taking away from her burden.

She chose stones as the representation of life’s burdens because of their connection to the earth’s essential elements. “They’re powerful and symbolic for life,” Felicella says.

“People will literally be able to add to the journey in the way they want to,” Felicella says. “There are multiple ways to interact with the piece. They can add weight to it. If they choose to lessen the burden, that is their choice too.”

“There will also be some additional, fun tidbits that people will have to come out to see,” Felicella says.

Felicella’s art centers on mental health and the weight of humanity, with her recent performances focused on how much the world has been going through in the last two years.
In December 2020, Felicella performed a piece called "Resistance, Re-Live and Proceed," in which she lay on a bed of stones for 10.5 hours from sun up to sun down and guests could leave their stones with her, their burdens, their experiences of 2020.

“I guess I’m on a stone journey,” Felicella jokes.

At Saturday’s performance, guests will have many resources to learn more about the endurance piece. There will be a QR code that people can link to. Docents will be available for questions. There will be an information table as well.

“I like to take the museum experience outside,” Felicella says.

"Journey" started as a conversation several years ago, with Felicella asking if there was a way to make a collective, unified statement that represents all people.

"Journey" is her answer.

“At its heart, this work is for the people,” Felicella says.

"Journey" will be performed from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 13, at Main Street Garden Park,1902 Main St., in partnership with Downtown Dallas, Inc.