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When considering restroom upgrades, it might be wise not to choose hiring the sculptor for such tasks.

Indeed, Herfeldt is a whiz with a silicone gun, creating compelling sculptures with a surprising substance. Yet longer you examine the artworks, the clearer you realise a certain aspect seems somewhat off.

The thick lengths from the foam she produces extend past display surfaces supporting them, hanging downwards to the ground. Those twisted foam pipes bulge till they rupture. Some creations escape their transparent enclosures fully, becoming a collector for dust and hair. One could imagine the feedback are unlikely to earn positive.

There are moments I feel an impression that things possess life within a space,” remarks the German artist. This is why I turned to this foam material as it offers such an organic sensation and look.”

Certainly there is an element almost visceral about Herfeldt’s work, including the phallic bulge which extends, hernia-like, from the support at the exhibition's heart, or the gut-like spirals of foam that burst resembling bodily failures. Along a surface, the artist presents images showing the pieces captured in multiple views: they look like wormy parasites seen in scientific samples, or growths on culture plates.

What captivates me is the idea in our bodies taking place which possess a life of their own,” Herfeldt explains. Elements that are invisible or manage.”

On the subject of things she can’t control, the poster promoting the event displays a picture of the leaky ceiling in her own studio in the German capital. The building had been built in the early 1970s and, she says, was instantly hated from residents as numerous historic structures were removed in order to make way for it. By the time run-down when Herfeldt – who was born in Munich but grew up near Hamburg before arriving in Berlin during her teens – took up residence.

The rundown building was frustrating to Herfeldt – she couldn’t hang her art works anxiously risk of ruin – however, it was intriguing. Without any blueprints accessible, it was unclear the way to fix the malfunctions that developed. When the ceiling panel within her workspace was saturated enough it gave way completely, the sole fix meant swapping it with another – thus repeating the process.

In a different area, Herfeldt says the leaking was so bad that a series of collection units got placed within the drop ceiling to channel the moisture elsewhere.

I understood that the structure was like a body, a totally dysfunctional body,” the artist comments.

These conditions brought to mind the sci-fi movie, John Carpenter’s debut 1974 film featuring a smart spaceship which becomes autonomous. As the exhibition's title suggests from the show’s title – three distinct names – more movies have inspired shaping Herfeldt’s show. These titles point to the female protagonists in the slasher film, Halloween and the extraterrestrial saga in that order. The artist references a critical analysis by the American professor, outlining the last women standing a distinctive cinematic theme – female characters isolated to triumph.

“She’s a bit tomboyish, reserved in nature and she can survive due to intelligence,” the artist explains regarding this trope. They avoid substances or have sex. It is irrelevant the viewer’s gender, all empathize with this character.”

Herfeldt sees a similarity from these protagonists to her artworks – elements that barely staying put under strain they face. Is the exhibition more about social breakdown than just dripping roofs? Similar to various systems, these materials meant to insulate and guard against harm in fact are decaying within society.

“Completely,” she confirms.

Prior to discovering her medium in the silicone gun, Herfeldt used different unconventional substances. Past displays have involved tongue-like shapes using a synthetic material found in in insulated clothing or apparel lining. Similarly, one finds the feeling these peculiar objects could come alive – certain pieces are folded like caterpillars mid-crawl, pieces hang loosely off surfaces or extend through entries attracting dirt from footprints (She prompts people to handle and soil the works). Like the silicone sculptures, these nylon creations are similarly displayed in – and breaking out of – budget-style acrylic glass boxes. They’re ugly looking things, which is intentional.

“These works possess a certain aesthetic that draws viewers highly drawn to, and at the same time appearing gross,” Herfeldt remarks with a smile. “It attempts to seem absent, yet in reality highly noticeable.”

The artist does not create art to provide ease or aesthetically soothed. Instead, she wants you to feel discomfort, strange, perhaps entertained. However, should you notice water droplets from above as well, remember you haven’t been warned.