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If you're planning washroom remodeling, you may want not to choose engaging this German artist to handle it.

Truly, she's highly skilled in handling foam materials, producing compelling sculptures out of an unusual art material. However the more observe these pieces, the stronger one notices a certain aspect is a little strange.

The thick strands of sealant she crafts extend over display surfaces where they rest, hanging off the edges towards the floor. The gnarled foam pipes bulge before bursting open. A few artworks escape their transparent enclosures fully, evolving into an attractor for grime and particles. Let's just say the reviews would not be pretty.

“I sometimes have the feeling that things seem animated inside an area,” states the German artist. Hence I started using this substance due to its a distinctly physical sensation and look.”

In fact one can detect almost visceral in Herfeldt’s work, from that protruding shape which extends, hernia-like, from the support at the exhibition's heart, and the winding tubes of foam that burst as if in crisis. On one wall, are mounted prints of the works captured in multiple views: they look like squirming organisms seen in scientific samples, or growths on culture plates.

I am fascinated by is the idea in our bodies taking place that seem to hold independent existence,” the artist notes. “Things that are invisible or command.”

Regarding unmanageable factors, the promotional image featured in the exhibition features an image of water damage overhead at her creative space in Kreuzberg, Berlin. It was erected decades ago and according to her, faced immediate dislike among the community as numerous older edifices were torn down in order to make way for it. The place was dilapidated when Herfeldt – who was born in Munich yet raised near Hamburg prior to moving to the capital in her youth – moved in.

This decrepit property proved challenging to Herfeldt – it was risky to display her art works without concern risk of ruin – however, it was fascinating. Without any blueprints on hand, nobody had a clue how to repair the problems that arose. After a part of the roof at the artist's area was saturated enough it fell apart fully, the sole fix was to replace the panel with a new one – thus repeating the process.

At another site, Herfeldt says the water intrusion was severe so multiple collection units were set up above the false roof to divert the moisture elsewhere.

I understood that the building was like a body, a completely flawed entity,” Herfeldt states.

This scenario brought to mind Dark Star, the director's first movie from the seventies featuring a smart spaceship that develops independence. As the exhibition's title suggests from the show’s title – a trio of references – more movies have inspired impacting the artist's presentation. Those labels refer to main characters in Friday 13th, Halloween and Alien in that order. The artist references an academic paper from a scholar, that describes these “final girls” as a unique film trope – protagonists by themselves to overcome.

“She’s a bit tomboyish, on the silent side and she can survive due to intelligence,” the artist explains of the archetypal final girl. “They don’t take drugs or engage intimately. Regardless the audience's identity, all empathize with the survivor.”

She draws a parallel from these protagonists with her creations – elements that barely staying put under strain they face. So is her work really concerning social breakdown than just water damage? Because like so many institutions, such components that should seal and protect from deterioration in fact are decaying within society.

“Absolutely,” she confirms.

Before finding inspiration with sealant applicators, Herfeldt used different unconventional substances. Past displays featured forms resembling tongues using the kind of nylon fabric found in within outdoor gear or in coats. Once more, there's the feeling these strange items could come alive – certain pieces are folded resembling moving larvae, others lollop down off surfaces or extend through entries attracting dirt from footprints (She prompts audiences to interact and soil the works). Similar to the foam artworks, the textile works are similarly displayed in – and breaking out of – cheap looking display enclosures. These are unattractive objects, and that's the essence.

“These works possess a certain aesthetic that somehow you feel highly drawn to, and at the same time appearing gross,” she says amusedly. “The art aims for absent, but it’s actually highly noticeable.”

Herfeldt's goal isn't pieces that offer comfortable or aesthetically soothed. Conversely, she wants you to feel unease, odd, maybe even amused. And if there's water droplets from above too, don’t say the alert was given.