The idea of FLOWMOON started in a backyard.
In July 2017, fire performer Brian Brujo had just moved back to Dallas from Denver. He was inspired by what he saw happening in Colorado, and wanted to create something here that brought the fire and DJ community together.
Brujo ended up collaborating with his DJ friend David “Dar” Carroll, and the first few events happened in Carroll’s backyard in North Dallas.
“Pretty soon, things started getting to the point where there were so many people coming we talked about potentially needing to stop people at the door,” Brujo said. “The same weekend we had that conversation, we got a call from John [LaRue] saying that they just opened Art Co.”
FLOWMOON features 3 hours of an open fire circle, inviting the fire community to play in the ring. Many folks participate, including Cameron Vaughn seen here (right). Photo: Jessica Waffles
Dar plays the outside stage during FLOWMOON. Photo: Jessica Waffles
Deep Ellum Art Company features an art gallery on their wall at all times. The theme of the current show is “Dystopian Utopia,” curated by Chase Fleishman. Featured artists include Alec Dejesus, Amy Buyers Harwood, Sarah Curl-Larson and more. Photo: Jessica Waffles
Alissa De Aguiar performs with fire fans during FLOWMOON at Deep Ellum Art Company. Photo: Jessica Waffles
At that point, Deep Ellum Art Company was only in their soft opening. FLOWMOON then became a feature event for Art Co’s grand opening weekend in October 2017. Since then, FLOWMOON was a monthly staple at the venue – until COVID.
“We were doing an event every 4-5 weeks,” Brujo said. “When we came back after COVID, at first it was every 4 months. Now we’re at every other month.”
One of the unique features of the event is that they often land on or near a full moon night. This past weekend was no exception, as the moon was out and shining all night, just one day before the total lunar eclipse on Sunday.
Bruddah Barry performs on the inside stage at FLOWMOON. Indoor visuals were created by Phamsta and Smudge. Photo: Jessica Waffles
The backyard of Deep Ellum Art Company hosts the first circle, outdoor stage and artist vendors. Photo: Jessica Waffles
Small business owner Abigail Langston of Local Langston Essentials holds one of her essential summer products, “Bug Be Gone” bug repellent. Natural ingredients include coconut oil, mango butter, basil extract, 8 essential oils and more. She’s wearing a headpiece made by other FLOWMOON creator/vendor Birdie Gurl. Photo: Jessica Waffles
Rhiannon Adkison (right) performs fire breathing during FLOWMOON at Deep Ellum Art Company. Photo: Jessica Waffles
Savannah Owen sees her neon hair under a blacklight for the first time inside psychedelic artist James Stein’s booth. Photo: Jessica Waffles
Ignite Art Collective member Nick Pryde leads the safety meeting with fire performers before the fire circle is opened to ensure safety during the event. Each person takes a shift in one of the three safety seats after a burn. Photo: Jessica Waffles
“The Grassy Plain” by Chase Fleishman. Anyone interested in purchasing art from the gallery can visit the shop.deepellumart.co website. Photo: Jessica Waffles
The combination of fire performers and electronic music sets the stage for a very laid-back environment with plenty of entertainment. Artist vendors line the outside area, giving support to many local painters, craftspeople and small businesses.
There is an open fire circle that is usually active for about three hours during every event, set up and supervised by Ignite Art Collective. An LED rope separates the perimeter of the fire circle and other attendees. There were over 20 fire performers on Saturday night. Their fire props included hoops, scythes, poi, fans, staffs, wands and more. Many attendees also participated in flow with glowing props.
The fire circle was active from 9pm – midnight. Photo: Jessica Waffles
Jay Sustain played on the indoor stage at FLOWMOON. Photo: Jessica Waffles
Fire performers using fire scythes during FLOWMOON. (left to right) Nate Corley, Keely Kirstin, Jason Treat. Photo: Jessica Waffles
Artist / vendor Trista Morris took a moment to paint using watercolor during FLOWMOON. Photo: Jessica Waffles
The artist vendor strip was located in the outside area of Deep Ellum Art Co. Here, artist Stephani Cofer and Tonya Blum Lincoln share a laugh. Photo: Jessica Waffles
Nate Corley performs with a dragon staff during FLOWMOON at Deep Ellum Art Company. Photo: Jessica Waffles
Flow performers inside during headliner Drumspyder’s set. Photo: Jessica Waffles
The event often features a headliner from out of town. This month’s headliner was Drumspyder from Austin, whose performance features percussion-driven dance music. Drawing inspiration from the Folk, Medieval, and Renaissance music of the British Islands and Europe, his music is a unique alchemy of musical traditions, energetic tribal rhythms, and pagan atmosphere – according to his bio.
Visuals for the indoor stage were created by Phamsta and Smudge, while outdoor visuals were done by Scott Stanley and Unknow-n.
FLOWMOON has plans to keep going every other month until November (for now), and the next event will be Saturday July 30. Learn more on the Facebook Event Page.
Drumspyder is known for his live drum beats that drive his electronic music dance sets. He weaves together intricate hand percussion and bass-heavy production into finely sculpted grooves. Photo: Jessica Waffles
Jessica Waffles is a freelance photographer/videographer and regular contributor to KXT.
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