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Should you be thinking about washroom remodeling, it's advisable to steer clear of engaging the sculptor for the job.

Indeed, she's an expert using sealant applicators, crafting compelling sculptures from this unlikely art material. Yet the more examine her creations, the clearer it becomes apparent that an element seems somewhat off.

Those hefty tubes made of silicone she crafts reach beyond their supports on which they sit, drooping downwards to the ground. The gnarled silicone strands expand until they split. Certain pieces leave their acrylic glass box homes completely, evolving into a collector for dust and hair. It's safe to say the feedback are unlikely to earn favorable.

There are moments I feel the feeling that items seem animated inside an area,” says the sculptor. Hence I came to use silicone sealant as it offers a distinctly physical sensation and look.”

Indeed one can detect almost visceral regarding Herfeldt’s work, including the suggestive swelling jutting out, hernia-like, off its base within the showspace, or the gut-like spirals from the material which split open resembling bodily failures. On one wall, are mounted images showing the pieces captured in multiple views: they look like wormy parasites seen in scientific samples, or formations on a petri-dish.

What captivates me is how certain elements inside human forms taking place which possess a life of their own,” Herfeldt explains. Phenomena which remain unseen or command.”

Talking of things she can’t control, the exhibition advertisement promoting the event features a photograph of water damage overhead at her creative space located in Berlin. Constructed erected decades ago as she explains, was instantly hated among the community because a lot of older edifices got demolished for its development. The place was run-down upon her – a native of that city but grew up north of Hamburg then relocating to Berlin during her teens – moved in.

This deteriorating space caused issues to Herfeldt – she couldn’t hang her pieces without concern risk of ruin – yet it also proved compelling. Lacking architectural drawings on hand, nobody had a clue methods to address the problems which occurred. Once an overhead section in Herfeldt’s studio got thoroughly soaked it collapsed entirely, the only solution was to replace the damaged part – perpetuating the issue.

At another site, she describes the water intrusion was severe that a series of shower basins were installed above the false roof in order to redirect the water to a different sink.

“I realised that the building acted as a physical form, a totally dysfunctional body,” Herfeldt states.

This scenario brought to mind a classic film, the initial work 1974 film concerning a conscious ship that develops independence. As the exhibition's title suggests given the naming – Alice, Laurie & Ripley – that’s not the only film to have influenced Herfeldt’s show. Those labels refer to the leading women in the slasher film, another scary movie plus the sci-fi hit as listed. Herfeldt cites a 1987 essay by the American professor, which identifies the last women standing as a unique film trope – female characters isolated to triumph.

These figures are somewhat masculine, on the silent side and she can survive because she’s quite clever,” she elaborates of the archetypal final girl. No drug use occurs nor sexual activity. And it doesn’t matter the viewer’s gender, we can all identify with the final girl.”

She draws a parallel linking these figures to her artworks – elements that barely holding in place despite the pressures they face. Does this mean the art focused on social breakdown beyond merely water damage? Similar to various systems, these materials intended to secure and shield us from damage are actually slowly eroding in our environment.

“Oh, totally,” says Herfeldt.

Prior to discovering her medium in the silicone gun, she experimented with alternative odd mediums. Previous exhibitions have involved tongue-like shapes crafted from a synthetic material you might see in insulated clothing or inside a jacket. Similarly, one finds the feeling these strange items seem lifelike – certain pieces are folded as insects in motion, some droop heavily on vertical planes or extend through entries collecting debris from touch (She prompts viewers to touch leaving marks on pieces). Like the silicone sculptures, the textile works also occupy – leaving – cheap looking transparent cases. These are unattractive objects, and that's the essence.

“They have a certain aesthetic that draws viewers very attracted to, and at the same time they’re very disgusting,” Herfeldt remarks amusedly. “It tries to be absent, yet in reality extremely obvious.”

The artist does not create pieces that offer relaxation or visual calm. Instead, she wants you to feel discomfort, awkward, perhaps entertained. But if you start to feel a moist sensation on your head as well, remember you haven’t been warned.