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If you're planning washroom remodeling, you may want to avoid hiring this German artist to handle it.

Certainly, Herfeldt is an expert with a silicone gun, crafting compelling creations with a surprising art material. But as you observe the artworks, the stronger one notices that something is a little off.

The dense strands made of silicone Herfeldt forms extend beyond the shelves supporting them, drooping downwards to the ground. The knotty tubular forms bulge until they split. Certain pieces leave the display cases completely, evolving into a collector for dust and hair. Let's just say the ratings would not be pretty.

At times I get this sense that items possess life inside an area,” says the sculptor. This is why I started using silicone sealant because it has a distinctly physical sensation and look.”

Indeed there is an element somewhat grotesque in Herfeldt’s work, including the suggestive swelling that protrudes, similar to a rupture, off its base in the centre of the gallery, to the intestinal coils from the material which split open like medical emergencies. Displayed nearby, Herfeldt has framed photocopies showing the pieces seen from various perspectives: appearing as squirming organisms seen in scientific samples, or formations on a petri-dish.

What captivates me is the idea in our bodies occurring which possess their own life,” Herfeldt explains. “Things that are invisible or control.”

Talking of unmanageable factors, the exhibition advertisement promoting the event displays a picture of the leaky ceiling at her creative space in Kreuzberg, Berlin. Constructed made in the seventies and according to her, faced immediate dislike among the community because a lot of old buildings got demolished in order to make way for it. By the time in a state of disrepair upon her – originally from Munich although she spent her youth in northern Germany then relocating to Berlin as a teenager – moved in.

The rundown building was frustrating for her work – it was risky to display her art works without concern risk of ruin – however, it was intriguing. Without any blueprints accessible, nobody had a clue methods to address the malfunctions that developed. Once an overhead section at the artist's area became so sodden it gave way completely, the only solution was to replace it with another – perpetuating the issue.

Elsewhere on the property, she describes the leaking was so bad that several shower basins were installed in the suspended ceiling in order to redirect leaks to another outlet.

I understood that the structure acted as a physical form, a completely flawed entity,” she says.

This scenario reminded her of a classic film, the director's first movie from the seventies concerning a conscious ship which becomes autonomous. As the exhibition's title suggests from the show’s title – a trio of references – more movies have inspired shaping the artist's presentation. Those labels refer to the female protagonists in Friday 13th, another scary movie and Alien respectively. Herfeldt cites a 1987 essay written by Carol J Clover, which identifies these “final girls” a distinctive cinematic theme – female characters isolated to triumph.

“She’s a bit tomboyish, rather quiet and they endure thanks to resourcefulness,” the artist explains regarding this trope. They avoid substances or have sex. And it doesn’t matter the viewer’s gender, everyone can relate to the final girl.”

The artist identifies a parallel linking these figures to her artworks – elements that barely maintaining position despite the pressures they’re under. Does this mean the art really concerning social breakdown rather than simply dripping roofs? Because like so many institutions, substances like silicone that should seal and protect against harm are gradually failing around us.

“Absolutely,” she confirms.

Earlier in her career using foam materials, she experimented with alternative odd mediums. Recent shows have involved tongue-like shapes crafted from the kind of nylon fabric typical for within outdoor gear or inside a jacket. Once more, there's the sense such unusual creations seem lifelike – certain pieces are folded like caterpillars mid-crawl, some droop heavily off surfaces or spill across doorways attracting dirt from footprints (Herfeldt encourages audiences to interact and soil the works). Like the silicone sculptures, those fabric pieces are similarly displayed in – and breaking out of – cheap looking acrylic glass boxes. The pieces are deliberately unappealing, and really that’s the point.

“The sculptures exhibit a certain aesthetic that draws viewers very attracted to, and at the same time appearing gross,” she says amusedly. “It attempts to seem not there, however, it is very present.”

The artist does not create work to make you feel relaxation or aesthetically soothed. Rather, she wants you to feel unease, awkward, maybe even amused. However, should you notice a moist sensation on your head as well, consider yourself this was foreshadowed.