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When considering bathroom renovations, it might be wise not to choose employing this German artist for the job.

Truly, Herfeldt is highly skilled using sealant applicators, creating fascinating artworks from this unlikely substance. Yet the more examine her creations, the clearer it becomes apparent a certain aspect seems somewhat off.

The dense tubes of sealant she produces stretch past their supports on which they sit, sagging downwards towards the floor. Those twisted foam pipes bulge till they rupture. Some creations escape the display cases entirely, becoming a magnet for dust and hair. Let's just say the reviews are unlikely to earn positive.

“I sometimes have an impression that items are alive within a space,” says the sculptor. “That’s why I started using silicone sealant due to its this very bodily feel and appearance.”

Indeed one can detect almost visceral about these sculptures, including the suggestive swelling which extends, like a medical condition, off its base at the exhibition's heart, or the gut-like spirals made of silicone which split open like medical emergencies. Displayed nearby, Herfeldt has framed images depicting the sculptures seen from various perspectives: appearing as microscopic invaders observed under magnification, or growths on a petri-dish.

I am fascinated by is the idea in our bodies occurring that also have a life of their own,” Herfeldt explains. “Things that are invisible or command.”

On the subject of elements beyond her influence, the promotional image promoting the event displays a picture of the leaky ceiling within her workspace in Kreuzberg, Berlin. It was built in the early 1970s and, she says, was quickly despised by local people as numerous old buildings got demolished in order to make way for it. By the time dilapidated when Herfeldt – originally from Munich but grew up near Hamburg before arriving in Berlin as a teenager – took up residence.

This decrepit property proved challenging to Herfeldt – placing artworks was difficult her pieces without concern risk of ruin – yet it also proved fascinating. Lacking architectural drawings accessible, it was unclear how to repair any of the issues that arose. Once an overhead section within her workspace became so sodden it fell apart fully, the sole fix involved installing the damaged part – and so the cycle continued.

In a different area, Herfeldt says dripping was extreme so multiple shower basins were set up in the suspended ceiling to channel the moisture elsewhere.

It dawned on me that the structure resembled an organism, a totally dysfunctional body,” Herfeldt states.

The situation evoked memories of a classic film, John Carpenter’s debut 1974 film featuring a smart spaceship that takes on a life of its own. Additionally, observers may note from the show’s title – Alice, Laurie & Ripley – more movies have inspired to have influenced this exhibition. These titles refer to main characters from a horror classic, another scary movie and the extraterrestrial saga in that order. Herfeldt cites a 1987 essay by the American professor, which identifies these “final girls” a distinctive cinematic theme – female characters isolated to triumph.

They often display toughness, reserved in nature and they endure thanks to resourcefulness,” she elaborates about such characters. No drug use occurs or engage intimately. Regardless who is watching, everyone can relate to the survivor.”

Herfeldt sees a parallel from these protagonists to her artworks – elements that barely holding in place under strain they’re under. So is her work focused on social breakdown beyond merely water damage? Similar to various systems, these materials meant to insulate and guard us from damage are actually slowly eroding in our environment.

“Completely,” says Herfeldt.

Earlier in her career using foam materials, Herfeldt used alternative odd mediums. Recent shows included tongue-like shapes made from fabric similar to you might see on a sleeping bag or inside a jacket. Again there is the sense these strange items seem lifelike – certain pieces are folded resembling moving larvae, others lollop down off surfaces or extend through entries collecting debris from touch (The artist invites people to handle leaving marks on pieces). Like the silicone sculptures, the textile works are similarly displayed in – leaving – inexpensive-seeming display enclosures. The pieces are deliberately unappealing, and really that’s the point.

“The sculptures exhibit a particular style which makes one very attracted to, and at the same time being quite repulsive,” the artist comments with a smile. “The art aims for invisible, yet in reality extremely obvious.”

Herfeldt's goal isn't pieces that offer comfortable or aesthetically soothed. Rather, she wants you to feel unease, strange, maybe even amused. However, should you notice something wet dripping on your head too, consider yourself the alert was given.