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Should you be thinking about bathroom renovations, it's advisable to avoid hiring this German artist for such tasks.

Truly, she's an expert with a silicone gun, creating fascinating sculptures from this unlikely substance. But as you examine these pieces, the clearer you realise that an element is a little strange.

The thick strands from the foam she produces extend beyond display surfaces on which they sit, hanging off the edges to the ground. The gnarled foam pipes swell till they rupture. Some creations break free from their transparent enclosures completely, evolving into a magnet of debris and fibers. Let's just say the feedback are unlikely to earn pretty.

There are moments I feel this sense that objects possess life inside an area,” remarks Herfeldt. This is why I turned to silicone sealant as it offers such an organic sensation and look.”

In fact one can detect rather body horror about Herfeldt’s work, from the phallic bulge jutting out, similar to a rupture, from its cylindrical stand in the centre of the gallery, and the winding tubes from the material that rupture resembling bodily failures. Along a surface, the artist presents photocopies of the works viewed from different angles: appearing as wormy parasites picked up on a microscope, or growths on a petri-dish.

“It interests me that there are things inside human forms taking place that also have a life of their own,” she says. Elements that are invisible or manage.”

Talking of unmanageable factors, the promotional image for the show includes a photograph of the leaky ceiling at her creative space in Kreuzberg, Berlin. The building had been made in the seventies as she explains, faced immediate dislike among the community since many older edifices were torn down in order to make way for it. It was already run-down upon her – a native of that city although she spent her youth in northern Germany then relocating to Berlin in her youth – took up residence.

This decrepit property caused issues for her work – it was risky to display her pieces anxiously risk of ruin – but it was also intriguing. With no building plans on hand, it was unclear how to repair any of the issues which occurred. After a part of the roof at the artist's area became so sodden it fell apart fully, the single remedy meant swapping the damaged part – thus repeating the process.

At another site, she describes dripping was extreme that a series of collection units were set up within the drop ceiling in order to redirect the moisture elsewhere.

I understood that the structure was like a body, an entirely malfunctioning system,” Herfeldt states.

This scenario evoked memories of the sci-fi movie, John Carpenter’s debut 1974 film about an AI-powered spacecraft which becomes autonomous. And as you might notice through the heading – three distinct names – that’s not the only film impacting the artist's presentation. Those labels refer to the leading women in the slasher film, another scary movie and the extraterrestrial saga as listed. Herfeldt cites a critical analysis by the American professor, outlining these surviving characters as a unique film trope – protagonists by themselves to triumph.

They often display toughness, rather quiet and she can survive due to intelligence,” she elaborates about such characters. “They don’t take drugs or have sex. And it doesn’t matter the audience's identity, everyone can relate to the final girl.”

Herfeldt sees a similarity between these characters with her creations – elements that barely maintaining position under strain affecting them. Does this mean the art really concerning cultural decay beyond merely leaky ceilings? Similar to various systems, substances like silicone intended to secure and shield against harm in fact are decaying in our environment.

“Oh, totally,” responds the artist.

Earlier in her career using foam materials, Herfeldt used different unconventional substances. Recent shows included forms resembling tongues crafted from a synthetic material typical for on a sleeping bag or inside a jacket. Again there is the impression such unusual creations could come alive – a few are compressed resembling moving larvae, pieces hang loosely from walls blocking passages gathering grime from contact (Herfeldt encourages viewers to touch and dirty her art). Like the silicone sculptures, these nylon creations are similarly displayed in – and escaping from – budget-style transparent cases. They’re ugly looking things, and that's the essence.

“The sculptures exhibit a particular style which makes one very attracted to, while also appearing gross,” the artist comments grinning. “It tries to be not there, yet in reality extremely obvious.”

The artist does not create art to provide relaxation or visual calm. Instead, she aims for discomfort, awkward, or even humor. But if you start to feel a moist sensation from above too, don’t say you haven’t been warned.