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Should you be thinking about washroom remodeling, you may want to avoid hiring the sculptor for the job.

Truly, she's an expert in handling foam materials, producing intriguing creations out of an unusual art material. But longer you examine her creations, the clearer you realise a certain aspect seems somewhat strange.

The thick lengths from the foam she produces reach over the shelves where they rest, sagging over the sides to the ground. The knotty tubular forms swell until they split. Some creations leave the display cases entirely, turning into a magnet for dust and hair. It's safe to say the ratings would not be positive.

At times I get this sense that items possess life within a space,” remarks the German artist. This is why I started using this foam material because it has such an organic feel and appearance.”

In fact there is an element somewhat grotesque regarding Herfeldt’s work, including the suggestive swelling that protrudes, like a medical condition, from its cylindrical stand in the centre of the gallery, or the gut-like spirals made of silicone that rupture resembling bodily failures. Along a surface, Herfeldt has framed photocopies depicting the sculptures captured in multiple views: they look like squirming organisms seen in scientific samples, or growths on a petri-dish.

What captivates me is the idea within us happening that also have independent existence,” she says. Phenomena you can’t see or manage.”

On the subject of elements beyond her influence, the poster promoting the event features an image of water damage overhead within her workspace in the German capital. It was made in the seventies and according to her, faced immediate dislike from residents as numerous older edifices got demolished in order to make way for it. The place was run-down upon her – originally from Munich although she spent her youth near Hamburg prior to moving to the capital in her youth – took up residence.

This decrepit property caused issues for her work – it was risky to display the sculptures without fearing risk of ruin – but it was also compelling. Lacking architectural drawings available, it was unclear methods to address any of the issues that developed. Once an overhead section within her workspace got thoroughly soaked it collapsed entirely, the only solution was to replace the panel with a new one – thus repeating the process.

Elsewhere on the property, the artist explains dripping was extreme that several shower basins were installed in the suspended ceiling to channel the water to a different sink.

I understood that this place was like a body, a totally dysfunctional body,” she says.

This scenario brought to mind Dark Star, the director's first 1974 film featuring a smart spaceship which becomes autonomous. And as you might notice given the naming – a trio of references – that’s not the only film to have influenced this exhibition. The three names indicate main characters from a horror classic, another scary movie and the extraterrestrial saga as listed. She mentions a critical analysis by the American professor, which identifies the last women standing a distinctive cinematic theme – women left alone to overcome.

They often display toughness, on the silent side and they endure due to intelligence,” she elaborates of the archetypal final girl. “They don’t take drugs or have sex. Regardless who is watching, everyone can relate to the final girl.”

The artist identifies a parallel linking these figures and her sculptures – objects which only staying put despite the pressures they’re under. So is her work more about cultural decay rather than simply water damage? Because like so many institutions, such components meant to insulate and guard from deterioration are actually slowly eroding within society.

“Oh, totally,” says Herfeldt.

Before finding inspiration in the silicone gun, the artist worked with other unusual materials. Recent shows have involved organic-looking pieces crafted from a synthetic material typical for in insulated clothing or inside a jacket. Similarly, one finds the feeling such unusual creations could come alive – some are concertinaed like caterpillars mid-crawl, some droop heavily on vertical planes or spill across doorways gathering grime from contact (Herfeldt encourages audiences to interact leaving marks on pieces). Similar to the foam artworks, these nylon creations also occupy – and breaking out of – cheap looking transparent cases. These are unattractive objects, and that's the essence.

“These works possess a particular style which makes one highly drawn to, yet simultaneously appearing gross,” Herfeldt remarks amusedly. “The art aims for absent, yet in reality very present.”

Herfeldt's goal isn't art to provide relaxation or beauty. Instead, her intention is to evoke uncomfortable, strange, perhaps entertained. But if you start to feel a moist sensation from above too, don’t say you haven’t been warned.