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Should you be thinking about washroom remodeling, it's advisable to avoid employing Lisa Herfeldt for the job.

Certainly, Herfeldt is highly skilled with a silicone gun, crafting fascinating creations from this unlikely art material. But longer you look at her creations, the clearer one notices a certain aspect seems somewhat unnerving.

Those hefty strands of sealant she crafts reach beyond their supports supporting them, sagging off the edges below. Those twisted foam pipes bulge until they split. Certain pieces leave their transparent enclosures completely, becoming a collector for grime and particles. One could imagine the ratings might not get positive.

At times I get this sense that items possess life in a room,” remarks Herfeldt. This is why I started using this substance due to its this very bodily sensation and look.”

In fact one can detect almost visceral about Herfeldt’s work, including the suggestive swelling jutting out, like a medical condition, off its base at the exhibition's heart, and the winding tubes of foam that rupture like medical emergencies. On one wall, Herfeldt has framed photocopies depicting the sculptures captured in multiple views: they look like squirming organisms seen in scientific samples, or formations on a petri-dish.

“It interests me that there are things inside human forms happening that also have a life of their own,” the artist notes. Phenomena that are invisible or control.”

Regarding elements beyond her influence, the promotional image featured in the exhibition features a photograph of water damage overhead at her creative space located in Berlin. Constructed built in the early 1970s as she explains, faced immediate dislike from residents because a lot of older edifices were torn down for its development. By the time run-down as the artist – a native of that city although she spent her youth north of Hamburg before arriving in Berlin during her teens – began using the space.

This decrepit property proved challenging to Herfeldt – she couldn’t hang her art works without fearing potential harm – yet it also proved compelling. Without any blueprints accessible, it was unclear how to repair any of the issues that arose. Once an overhead section within her workspace got thoroughly soaked it collapsed entirely, the single remedy was to replace the panel with a new one – thus repeating the process.

At another site, Herfeldt says the water intrusion was severe that a series of shower basins were set up above the false roof in order to redirect the moisture elsewhere.

“I realised that this place resembled an organism, a totally dysfunctional body,” the artist comments.

The situation evoked memories of the sci-fi movie, John Carpenter’s debut cinematic piece concerning a conscious ship which becomes autonomous. And as you might notice from the show’s title – three distinct names – more movies have inspired shaping this exhibition. Those labels point to the leading women from a horror classic, the iconic thriller plus the sci-fi hit in that order. Herfeldt cites a critical analysis from a scholar, that describes these surviving characters as a unique film trope – protagonists by themselves to overcome.

“She’s a bit tomboyish, on the silent side enabling their survival because she’s quite clever,” says Herfeldt regarding this trope. “They don’t take drugs or engage intimately. Regardless the audience's identity, we can all identify with the final girl.”

She draws a similarity linking these figures with her creations – elements that barely holding in place amidst stress they’re under. Does this mean the art really concerning social breakdown rather than simply leaky ceilings? Similar to various systems, substances like silicone that should seal and protect against harm are gradually failing around us.

“Completely,” says Herfeldt.

Before finding inspiration in the silicone gun, the artist worked with different unconventional substances. Past displays included forms resembling tongues using fabric similar to typical for on a sleeping bag or in coats. Once more, there's the feeling these strange items seem lifelike – certain pieces are folded like caterpillars mid-crawl, some droop heavily on vertical planes blocking passages collecting debris from touch (The artist invites audiences to interact leaving marks on pieces). As with earlier creations, these nylon creations also occupy – and breaking out of – budget-style display enclosures. These are unattractive objects, and that's the essence.

“They have a particular style that somehow you feel highly drawn to, yet simultaneously being quite repulsive,” Herfeldt remarks grinning. “The art aims for not there, yet in reality highly noticeable.”

Herfeldt is not making art to provide comfortable or visual calm. Rather, she aims for uncomfortable, strange, perhaps entertained. And if there's water droplets from above additionally, remember the alert was given.