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When considering restroom upgrades, it might be wise to steer clear of employing this German artist for the job.

Truly, she's a whiz using sealant applicators, producing compelling sculptures out of an unusual substance. However the more look at the artworks, the clearer one notices a certain aspect is a little unnerving.

Those hefty tubes from the foam she crafts extend past display surfaces on which they sit, hanging over the sides below. Those twisted foam pipes swell before bursting open. Certain pieces escape their transparent enclosures completely, turning into a collector for dust and hair. One could imagine the ratings would not be positive.

There are moments I feel the feeling that objects seem animated in a room,” says the German artist. Hence I started using silicone sealant due to its this very bodily feel and appearance.”

Certainly there’s something almost visceral regarding Herfeldt’s work, from that protruding shape jutting out, similar to a rupture, from the support within the showspace, to the intestinal coils of foam that rupture as if in crisis. Displayed nearby, Herfeldt has framed photocopies showing the pieces captured in multiple views: they look like squirming organisms seen in scientific samples, or growths on a petri-dish.

I am fascinated by is how certain elements inside human forms occurring that also have their own life,” Herfeldt explains. Elements which remain unseen or control.”

Regarding things she can’t control, the exhibition advertisement featured in the exhibition includes an image of the leaky ceiling at her creative space located in Berlin. It was erected decades ago and according to her, was instantly hated among the community because a lot of historic structures were torn down in order to make way for it. It was already in a state of disrepair as the artist – originally from Munich but grew up in northern Germany then relocating to Berlin as a teenager – took up residence.

This deteriorating space was frustrating for the artist – placing artworks was difficult the sculptures without concern risk of ruin – yet it also proved intriguing. With no building plans accessible, no one knew how to repair the malfunctions that developed. Once an overhead section at the artist's area became so sodden it collapsed entirely, the sole fix involved installing the panel with a new one – and so the cycle continued.

In a different area, Herfeldt says dripping was extreme that a series of collection units got placed in the suspended ceiling to channel the water to a different sink.

It dawned on me that this place was like a body, a completely flawed entity,” she says.

These conditions brought to mind the sci-fi movie, the initial work 1974 film concerning a conscious ship which becomes autonomous. Additionally, observers may note through the heading – Alice, Laurie & Ripley – that’s not the only film to have influenced Herfeldt’s show. Those labels point to main characters from a horror classic, another scary movie and the extraterrestrial saga as listed. Herfeldt cites an academic paper by the American professor, which identifies these “final girls” a distinctive cinematic theme – female characters isolated to save the day.

“She’s a bit tomboyish, rather quiet and she can survive due to intelligence,” the artist explains of the archetypal final girl. No drug use occurs or have sex. Regardless who is watching, we can all identify with the final girl.”

She draws a parallel linking these figures and her sculptures – things that are just about maintaining position under strain they face. Is the exhibition really concerning societal collapse beyond merely water damage? Because like so many institutions, such components intended to secure and shield from deterioration in fact are decaying within society.

“Oh, totally,” responds the artist.

Earlier in her career in the silicone gun, she experimented with alternative odd mediums. Past displays have involved forms resembling tongues using the kind of nylon fabric found in within outdoor gear or apparel lining. Once more, there's the feeling such unusual creations might animate – certain pieces are folded like caterpillars mid-crawl, pieces hang loosely on vertical planes or spill across doorways collecting debris from touch (She prompts people to handle leaving marks on pieces). Like the silicone sculptures, the textile works are also housed in – leaving – cheap looking acrylic glass boxes. The pieces are deliberately unappealing, and that's the essence.

“The sculptures exhibit a certain aesthetic that draws viewers highly drawn to, yet simultaneously appearing gross,” Herfeldt remarks amusedly. “It attempts to seem not there, yet in reality highly noticeable.”

Herfeldt is not making pieces that offer comfortable or visual calm. Instead, her intention is to evoke uncomfortable, odd, or even humor. But if you start to feel something wet dripping overhead additionally, remember you haven’t been warned.