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Should you be thinking about restroom upgrades, it might be wise not to choose employing the sculptor for the job.

Truly, she's highly skilled with a silicone gun, producing compelling artworks from this unlikely medium. Yet as you look at these pieces, the more you realise that an element seems somewhat unnerving.

The thick tubes from the foam Herfeldt forms stretch beyond their supports where they rest, drooping off the edges to the ground. The knotty foam pipes bulge before bursting open. A few artworks leave their acrylic glass box homes fully, evolving into a magnet of debris and fibers. Let's just say the feedback are unlikely to earn pretty.

“I sometimes have this sense that things are alive inside an area,” says the sculptor. Hence I came to use silicone sealant due to its this very bodily feel and appearance.”

Indeed there is an element almost visceral about Herfeldt’s work, starting with the phallic bulge that protrudes, hernia-like, from its cylindrical stand within the showspace, to the intestinal coils from the material which split open as if in crisis. Along a surface, Herfeldt has framed images of the works viewed from different angles: appearing as microscopic invaders picked up on a microscope, or formations on culture plates.

I am fascinated by that there are things within us occurring which possess independent existence,” she says. Elements which remain unseen or control.”

Regarding unmanageable factors, the poster for the show features a photograph of water damage overhead in her own studio in the German capital. It was erected decades ago and according to her, faced immediate dislike from residents as numerous older edifices were torn down to allow its construction. The place was dilapidated when Herfeldt – a native of that city but grew up near Hamburg then relocating to Berlin in her youth – moved in.

This decrepit property caused issues for the artist – she couldn’t hang the sculptures without fearing potential harm – however, it was fascinating. Lacking architectural drawings accessible, nobody had a clue the way to fix the malfunctions which occurred. Once an overhead section in Herfeldt’s studio got thoroughly soaked it fell apart fully, the sole fix meant swapping it with another – and so the cycle continued.

In a different area, Herfeldt says the leaking was so bad so multiple shower basins were installed above the false roof to channel leaks to another outlet.

It dawned on me that this place resembled an organism, an entirely malfunctioning system,” Herfeldt states.

The situation evoked memories of a classic film, the initial work movie from the seventies about an AI-powered spacecraft that takes on a life of its own. As the exhibition's title suggests through the heading – a trio of references – more movies have inspired shaping Herfeldt’s show. The three names indicate the leading women from a horror classic, Halloween and Alien respectively. She mentions a critical analysis from a scholar, which identifies these “final girls” an original movie concept – women left alone to triumph.

They often display toughness, on the silent side enabling their survival thanks to resourcefulness,” the artist explains regarding this trope. No drug use occurs nor sexual activity. Regardless the audience's identity, all empathize with this character.”

Herfeldt sees a similarity between these characters to her artworks – things that are just about holding in place despite the pressures they’re under. Does this mean the art focused on societal collapse than just leaky ceilings? Similar to various systems, these materials that should seal and protect us from damage in fact are decaying within society.

“Completely,” says Herfeldt.

Prior to discovering her medium in the silicone gun, the artist worked with different unconventional substances. Recent shows featured tongue-like shapes using fabric similar to found in within outdoor gear or in coats. Similarly, one finds the feeling such unusual creations seem lifelike – certain pieces are folded as insects in motion, others lollop down off surfaces blocking passages collecting debris from touch (Herfeldt encourages people to handle and dirty her art). Like the silicone sculptures, these nylon creations also occupy – and escaping from – cheap looking acrylic glass boxes. They’re ugly looking things, and that's the essence.

“They have a certain aesthetic which makes one very attracted to, while also they’re very disgusting,” the artist comments grinning. “It tries to be not there, yet in reality highly noticeable.”

Herfeldt's goal isn't art to provide ease or visual calm. Conversely, she wants you to feel unease, strange, perhaps entertained. However, should you notice a moist sensation overhead additionally, consider yourself the alert was given.