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If you're planning restroom upgrades, it might be wise to steer clear of hiring the sculptor for such tasks.

Certainly, she's a whiz in handling foam materials, creating fascinating sculptures from this unlikely art material. Yet the more look at her creations, the stronger it becomes apparent that an element seems somewhat strange.

The thick strands made of silicone Herfeldt forms reach beyond their supports supporting them, hanging downwards towards the floor. The knotty tubular forms swell before bursting open. Certain pieces escape their acrylic glass box homes fully, becoming a collector for grime and particles. Let's just say the reviews are unlikely to earn pretty.

There are moments I feel the feeling that objects seem animated inside an area,” says the sculptor. This is why I turned to this foam material because it has such an organic feel and appearance.”

Indeed there’s something rather body horror regarding the artist's creations, including the phallic bulge jutting out, hernia-like, from its cylindrical stand within the showspace, or the gut-like spirals from the material which split open resembling bodily failures. On one wall, Herfeldt has framed photocopies showing the pieces viewed from different angles: they look like squirming organisms observed under magnification, or growths on a petri-dish.

“It interests me that there are things in our bodies taking place which possess their own life,” Herfeldt explains. Phenomena that are invisible or control.”

On the subject of unmanageable factors, the poster for the show displays an image showing a dripping roof in her own studio in the German capital. It was erected decades ago and according to her, faced immediate dislike by local people since many older edifices were removed in order to make way for it. By the time in a state of disrepair as the artist – originally from Munich yet raised in northern Germany before arriving in Berlin during her teens – began using the space.

This deteriorating space caused issues to Herfeldt – she couldn’t hang her art works anxiously risk of ruin – yet it also proved intriguing. Lacking architectural drawings available, nobody had a clue the way to fix the malfunctions which occurred. After a part of the roof at the artist's area was saturated enough it fell apart fully, the sole fix involved installing it with another – perpetuating the issue.

At another site, the artist explains the leaking was so bad that a series of collection units got placed within the drop ceiling to divert leaks to another outlet.

“I realised that this place was like a body, a completely flawed entity,” she says.

These conditions evoked memories of a classic film, the initial work movie from the seventies about an AI-powered spacecraft which becomes autonomous. And as you might notice given the naming – Alice, Laurie & Ripley – more movies have inspired shaping the artist's presentation. These titles refer to the female protagonists from a horror classic, another scary movie and the extraterrestrial saga as listed. The artist references an academic paper from a scholar, that describes the last women standing an original movie concept – female characters isolated to save the day.

These figures are somewhat masculine, on the silent side and she can survive thanks to resourcefulness,” the artist explains regarding this trope. They avoid substances or engage intimately. Regardless the viewer’s gender, we can all identify with this character.”

The artist identifies a connection between these characters with her creations – things that are just about staying put amidst stress they’re under. Is the exhibition more about societal collapse than just dripping roofs? As with many structures, such components meant to insulate and guard from deterioration are gradually failing in our environment.

“Absolutely,” she confirms.

Before finding inspiration in the silicone gun, she experimented with other unusual materials. Previous exhibitions have involved organic-looking pieces using a synthetic material you might see within outdoor gear or in coats. Once more, there's the impression such unusual creations could come alive – some are concertinaed like caterpillars mid-crawl, some droop heavily off surfaces or extend through entries collecting debris from touch (Herfeldt encourages viewers to touch leaving marks on pieces). Like the silicone sculptures, the textile works are also housed in – and escaping from – inexpensive-seeming transparent cases. The pieces are deliberately unappealing, and that's the essence.

“The sculptures exhibit a particular style that draws viewers highly drawn to, while also they’re very disgusting,” the artist comments amusedly. “The art aims for absent, however, it is very present.”

The artist does not create work to make you feel ease or beauty. Instead, her intention is to evoke discomfort, odd, or even humor. And if there's a moist sensation overhead additionally, consider yourself the alert was given.