Standing in the center of Station 116, visitors see a different galaxy. From the "spaceship," they have a view of planets scattered across the sky — an adventure awaits.
That was the concept created for “We Are Building a Ship,” an experimental comic exhibited in Station 116, a gallery located in the garage of an Ohio University art student’s home on 116 N. Lancaster St.
A spaceship sculpture hung in the center of the room. The planets were glass sculptures. The "adventures" were inked on paper. Each wall explored a different planet, and the viewer could view aspects of each world from the center of the room.
The immersive comic was created by Daniel Manion, a senior studying printmaking, and his brother, Charlie. Daniel is one of two minds behind the gallery on Lancaster Street.
Created in 2015, the gallery is run by Daniel and Stephen Deffet, a senior studying painting and drawing.
Alternative spaces are popping up everywhere, Deffet said.
“There are individuals who have exhibition spaces inside of their purse that they carry around, and they have monthly exhibitions,” he said. “Anything you can think of that could be a space and even things that aren’t literal spaces have been made into places for contemporary artwork to be shown.”
After researching different concepts for alternative spaces, Daniel and Deffet were inspired to create one in Athens.
“It gives me a lot of hope that wherever I go, even if I don’t have this space or can afford a space like this, I can always make an exhibition space happen,” Deffet said.
The Lancaster space rotates exhibitions, hosting a show about once a month, usually while the weather is still warm. They range from traditional to experimental, featuring the work of artists living in Athens and around the country.
“The shows have been, like, drastically different. I mean, we try to have a variety,” Daniel said. “We’re very open.”
Jasen Bernthisel’s recent exhibit, “Clusterf---k Dynamo,” was one of the pair’s more unconventional shows. A metal ladder was placed in the space. At varying intervals, it shook violently from the force of 240 pounds of pressure created by an attached motor.
Another part of the exhibit included a cinderblock hanging from the ceiling. Loudspeakers inside the block played the riff from The Ramones’ “Blitzkrieg Bop” over and over again.
“The idea would be to throw (the block) through a window, and then (“Blitzkrieg Bop”) would be your anthem,” Daniel said, laughing.
The next show will feature photography, and the one after will create an "interactive environment."
Station 116 will be transformed into a living room with couches and bookshelves for the show, Daniel said. The pair sent an open call to artists over Facebook, urging them to submit their work, whether that be photo books, art books, comics or zines.
Shows vary widely in complexity.
“Sometimes it’s like a 30-hour install, and then other times it’s three,” Deffet said.
In the case of Barry O’Keefe and Todd Irwin’s show, "Where the F---k Do I Live?" a mural alone took about six hours to create.
“We’re always running around, a hot, sweaty mess,” Deffet said. "We think a lot of times we’ll shower, but we never have time to."
Outside of time constraints, he said the space presents a range of challenges. As to not violate the lease, the walls of the gallery are completely free-standing.
“Just about everything you can think of has been a challenge at this point, but we’re becoming more accepting of that and realizing that that is part of having an alternative space — (it) is the capacity and willingness to adapt to a space,” Deffet said.
Though Daniel and Deffet will graduate at the end of the academic year, they enlisted other students to continue curating the station, Deffet said. A group of art students have recently signed the lease at 116 N. Lancaster St., making it official.
But that does not mean Daniel and Deffet are finished with the project. There is still a possibility the two will continue their work.
“(The name is) entirely based on the address. Wherever we go, we can just be ‘Station whatever the address is’ and have a collection of these stations, which I think is fun,” Daniel said.
