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If you're planning bathroom renovations, it might be wise to steer clear of employing the sculptor to handle it.

Certainly, she's a whiz using sealant applicators, producing intriguing creations from this unlikely substance. But longer you examine these pieces, the clearer it becomes apparent that something is a little strange.

Those hefty tubes of sealant Herfeldt forms stretch over their supports supporting them, drooping over the sides to the ground. Those twisted tubular forms expand before bursting open. Some creations escape the display cases completely, turning into an attractor of debris and fibers. It's safe to say the feedback are unlikely to earn pretty.

There are moments I feel the feeling that items are alive in a room,” says the sculptor. “That’s why I turned to this foam material because it has a distinctly physical sensation and look.”

In fact there is an element somewhat grotesque in the artist's creations, starting with that protruding shape jutting out, hernia-like, off its base within the showspace, and the winding tubes made of silicone which split open like medical emergencies. On one wall, are mounted images depicting the sculptures captured in multiple views: resembling wormy parasites seen in scientific samples, or growths on culture plates.

What captivates me is the idea within us taking place that seem to hold their own life,” she says. Elements you can’t see or manage.”

Regarding things she can’t control, the promotional image promoting the event displays a picture of water damage overhead at her creative space located in Berlin. Constructed made in the seventies and according to her, faced immediate dislike among the community since many older edifices were removed to allow its construction. The place was in a state of disrepair as the artist – who was born in Munich but grew up near Hamburg prior to moving to the capital in her youth – took up residence.

This deteriorating space proved challenging to Herfeldt – placing artworks was difficult her pieces without fearing they might be damaged – however, it was intriguing. Lacking architectural drawings available, it was unclear how to repair any of the issues that developed. Once an overhead section in Herfeldt’s studio got thoroughly soaked it fell apart fully, the single remedy was to replace the panel with a new one – thus repeating the process.

Elsewhere on the property, she describes the water intrusion was severe that a series of drainage containers were set up above the false roof to divert the moisture elsewhere.

I understood that the building was like a body, a completely flawed entity,” Herfeldt states.

This scenario evoked memories of the sci-fi movie, the initial work cinematic piece concerning a conscious ship which becomes autonomous. Additionally, observers may note from the show’s title – Alice, Laurie & Ripley – other cinematic works influenced to have influenced the artist's presentation. Those labels indicate main characters in the slasher film, Halloween and the extraterrestrial saga as listed. Herfeldt cites a 1987 essay written by Carol J Clover, that describes these “final girls” a distinctive cinematic theme – women left alone to overcome.

These figures are somewhat masculine, on the silent side and they endure because she’s quite clever,” the artist explains regarding this trope. They avoid substances nor sexual activity. It is irrelevant the viewer’s gender, all empathize with the survivor.”

Herfeldt sees a connection from these protagonists and her sculptures – elements that barely maintaining position despite the pressures affecting them. Does this mean the art more about cultural decay beyond merely leaky ceilings? Because like so many institutions, these materials that should seal and protect against harm are gradually failing within society.

“Oh, totally,” responds the artist.

Earlier in her career using foam materials, she experimented with other unusual materials. Recent shows have involved organic-looking pieces crafted from a synthetic material you might see within outdoor gear or inside a jacket. Again there is the feeling these strange items seem lifelike – certain pieces are folded as insects in motion, others lollop down off surfaces or extend through entries gathering grime from contact (Herfeldt encourages viewers to touch and soil the works). Like the silicone sculptures, these nylon creations are similarly displayed in – and breaking out of – budget-style acrylic glass boxes. The pieces are deliberately unappealing, and really that’s the point.

“These works possess a certain aesthetic that somehow you feel compelled by, yet simultaneously appearing gross,” Herfeldt remarks grinning. “The art aims for absent, but it’s actually extremely obvious.”

Herfeldt's goal isn't work to make you feel comfortable or visual calm. Instead, she aims for unease, awkward, maybe even amused. But if you start to feel water droplets on your head as well, consider yourself this was foreshadowed.