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When considering washroom remodeling, you may want to steer clear of engaging this German artist for the job.

Certainly, Herfeldt is an expert with a silicone gun, crafting compelling sculptures from this unlikely art material. But the more look at the artworks, the stronger you realise that an element is a little unnerving.

The dense strands from the foam Herfeldt forms extend over display surfaces where they rest, drooping over the sides towards the floor. The knotty foam pipes expand till they rupture. Some creations leave their acrylic glass box homes fully, turning into a magnet for grime and particles. Let's just say the ratings are unlikely to earn pretty.

There are moments I feel the feeling that objects are alive within a space,” remarks the German artist. This is why I turned to this foam material due to its this very bodily texture and feeling.”

Indeed there is an element rather body horror about the artist's creations, including the suggestive swelling jutting out, like a medical condition, from its cylindrical stand at the exhibition's heart, to the intestinal coils from the material which split open resembling bodily failures. Along a surface, are mounted images depicting the sculptures viewed from different angles: appearing as microscopic invaders picked up on a microscope, or colonies on a petri-dish.

I am fascinated by is how certain elements in our bodies occurring which possess independent existence,” she says. Phenomena you can’t see or control.”

Talking of unmanageable factors, the promotional image featured in the exhibition features a picture of the leaky ceiling at her creative space in the German capital. The building had been erected decades ago and according to her, was quickly despised among the community as numerous older edifices were torn down to allow its construction. By the time in a state of disrepair as the artist – originally from Munich but grew up north of Hamburg prior to moving to the capital as a teenager – took up residence.

This deteriorating space was frustrating for her work – she couldn’t hang the sculptures without fearing potential harm – but it was also intriguing. Lacking architectural drawings available, no one knew the way to fix the problems that arose. Once an overhead section within her workspace got thoroughly soaked it fell apart fully, the single remedy meant swapping the damaged part – thus repeating the process.

Elsewhere on the property, the artist explains the leaking was so bad that a series of shower basins were installed in the suspended ceiling to divert leaks to another outlet.

I understood that the structure was like a body, a completely flawed entity,” the artist comments.

This scenario reminded her of the sci-fi movie, John Carpenter’s debut movie from the seventies featuring a smart spaceship that develops independence. And as you might notice through the heading – three distinct names – that’s not the only film impacting this exhibition. These titles point to main characters from a horror classic, Halloween and the extraterrestrial saga respectively. The artist references a 1987 essay by the American professor, outlining these surviving characters as a unique film trope – women left alone to overcome.

“She’s a bit tomboyish, rather quiet enabling their survival because she’s quite clever,” she elaborates regarding this trope. They avoid substances or engage intimately. And it doesn’t matter who is watching, we can all identify with the final girl.”

Herfeldt sees a similarity linking these figures to her artworks – elements that barely staying put amidst stress they face. So is her work really concerning social breakdown than just leaky ceilings? As with many structures, substances like silicone intended to secure and shield us from damage in fact are decaying in our environment.

“Absolutely,” responds the artist.

Before finding inspiration in the silicone gun, Herfeldt used different unconventional substances. Past displays included tongue-like shapes crafted from fabric similar to typical for in insulated clothing or in coats. Again there is the impression these strange items could come alive – some are concertinaed resembling moving larvae, some droop heavily on vertical planes or extend through entries attracting dirt from footprints (Herfeldt encourages audiences to interact leaving marks on pieces). Similar to the foam artworks, these nylon creations also occupy – and breaking out of – inexpensive-seeming display enclosures. The pieces are deliberately unappealing, which is intentional.

“The sculptures exhibit a certain aesthetic which makes one compelled by, yet simultaneously being quite repulsive,” she says amusedly. “The art aims for not there, but it’s actually extremely obvious.”

Herfeldt is not making pieces that offer ease or beauty. Instead, her intention is to evoke unease, odd, maybe even amused. But if you start to feel something wet dripping from above too, remember this was foreshadowed.