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Should you be thinking about restroom upgrades, it's advisable not to choose employing Lisa Herfeldt for such tasks.

Indeed, she's an expert in handling foam materials, creating intriguing sculptures with a surprising art material. But the more look at her creations, the stronger it becomes apparent that something is a little off.

The thick tubes of sealant she crafts extend past the shelves supporting them, drooping downwards below. Those twisted silicone strands expand until they split. Certain pieces leave their acrylic glass box homes fully, becoming an attractor for grime and particles. Let's just say the feedback might not get pretty.

There are moments I feel this sense that things seem animated within a space,” states Herfeldt. Hence I started using this foam material because it has this very bodily feel and appearance.”

Indeed one can detect somewhat grotesque about Herfeldt’s work, from the phallic bulge that protrudes, hernia-like, from the support at the exhibition's heart, to the intestinal coils from the material that burst resembling bodily failures. Displayed nearby, the artist presents photocopies showing the pieces seen from various perspectives: they look like squirming organisms seen in scientific samples, or growths in a lab setting.

I am fascinated by is how certain elements within us occurring that also have a life of their own,” the artist notes. Phenomena which remain unseen or command.”

Talking of elements beyond her influence, the promotional image for the show displays a picture showing a dripping roof within her workspace located in Berlin. The building had been built in the early 1970s and, she says, was quickly despised from residents as numerous older edifices were torn down in order to make way for it. The place was dilapidated when Herfeldt – originally from Munich but grew up in northern Germany prior to moving to the capital as a teenager – began using the space.

The rundown building caused issues to Herfeldt – she couldn’t hang her art works without fearing they might be damaged – however, it was fascinating. With no building plans accessible, nobody had a clue how to repair the problems which occurred. Once an overhead section in Herfeldt’s studio was saturated enough it collapsed entirely, the single remedy was to replace the panel with a new one – and so the cycle continued.

In a different area, Herfeldt says dripping was extreme that several drainage containers got placed within the drop ceiling in order to redirect the water to a different sink.

“I realised that the structure resembled an organism, a totally dysfunctional body,” she says.

This scenario reminded her of a classic film, the director's first movie from the seventies featuring a smart spaceship that develops independence. And as you might notice from the show’s title – Alice, Laurie & Ripley – other cinematic works influenced impacting the artist's presentation. These titles refer to main characters in the slasher film, Halloween plus the sci-fi hit respectively. Herfeldt cites a critical analysis written by Carol J Clover, which identifies these “final girls” a distinctive cinematic theme – women left alone to overcome.

They often display toughness, reserved in nature and they endure thanks to resourcefulness,” the artist explains of the archetypal final girl. No drug use occurs nor sexual activity. Regardless the viewer’s gender, we can all identify with the survivor.”

The artist identifies a parallel between these characters and her sculptures – objects which only maintaining position under strain affecting them. Does this mean the art focused on societal collapse rather than simply water damage? As with many structures, these materials meant to insulate and guard against harm in fact are decaying within society.

“Oh, totally,” she confirms.

Before finding inspiration in the silicone gun, the artist worked with different unconventional substances. Previous exhibitions featured forms resembling tongues made from a synthetic material typical for in insulated clothing or inside a jacket. Again there is the impression these strange items could come alive – certain pieces are folded resembling moving larvae, pieces hang loosely on vertical planes blocking passages attracting dirt from footprints (Herfeldt encourages viewers to touch leaving marks on pieces). As with earlier creations, these nylon creations are also housed in – and breaking out of – inexpensive-seeming transparent cases. The pieces are deliberately unappealing, which is intentional.

“These works possess a specific look that somehow you feel highly drawn to, and at the same time they’re very disgusting,” Herfeldt remarks grinning. “It tries to be invisible, yet in reality very present.”

The artist does not create work to make you feel ease or aesthetically soothed. Conversely, she wants you to feel unease, odd, or even humor. But if you start to feel something wet dripping from above too, consider yourself this was foreshadowed.