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Should you be thinking about bathroom renovations, it might be wise to avoid hiring the sculptor for such tasks.

Truly, Herfeldt is highly skilled using sealant applicators, creating intriguing artworks out of an unusual medium. Yet as you observe the artworks, the stronger it becomes apparent that an element seems somewhat strange.

The dense tubes from the foam she crafts stretch beyond their supports where they rest, drooping over the sides to the ground. The gnarled foam pipes swell till they rupture. A few artworks leave the display cases completely, becoming a magnet for dust and hair. One could imagine the ratings would not be positive.

At times I get an impression that items are alive in a room,” remarks Herfeldt. “That’s why I turned to this substance because it has such an organic texture and feeling.”

In fact there’s something rather body horror about these sculptures, from the suggestive swelling that protrudes, like a medical condition, from its cylindrical stand in the centre of the gallery, to the intestinal coils from the material which split open like medical emergencies. Displayed nearby, Herfeldt has framed images depicting the sculptures captured in multiple views: appearing as microscopic invaders picked up on a microscope, or colonies on culture plates.

What captivates me is the idea within us occurring that seem to hold their own life,” Herfeldt explains. Phenomena that are invisible or command.”

Talking of elements beyond her influence, the promotional image featured in the exhibition features an image of the leaky ceiling within her workspace in Kreuzberg, Berlin. It was built in the early 1970s and, she says, was instantly hated by local people as numerous historic structures were torn down for its development. By the time in a state of disrepair when Herfeldt – originally from Munich but grew up north of Hamburg before arriving in Berlin as a teenager – took up residence.

The rundown building caused issues for her work – she couldn’t hang the sculptures without concern they might be damaged – yet it also proved fascinating. With no building plans on hand, no one knew methods to address the malfunctions which occurred. When the ceiling panel in Herfeldt’s studio became so sodden it collapsed entirely, the single remedy involved installing the damaged part – and so the cycle continued.

At another site, the artist explains the water intrusion was severe that several shower basins got placed within the drop ceiling in order to redirect leaks to another outlet.

It dawned on me that the structure resembled an organism, a totally dysfunctional body,” she says.

The situation reminded her of the sci-fi movie, John Carpenter’s debut cinematic piece about an AI-powered spacecraft that takes on a life of its own. As the exhibition's title suggests from the show’s title – a trio of references – more movies have inspired to have influenced this exhibition. Those labels refer to the female protagonists in the slasher film, Halloween and the extraterrestrial saga in that order. The artist references a critical analysis written by Carol J Clover, that describes the last women standing an original movie concept – female characters isolated to save the day.

“She’s a bit tomboyish, reserved in nature enabling their survival because she’s quite clever,” says Herfeldt about such characters. No drug use occurs or engage intimately. And it doesn’t matter the viewer’s gender, we can all identify with this character.”

She draws a connection linking these figures and her sculptures – things that are just about staying put despite the pressures affecting them. So is her work really concerning cultural decay than just water damage? Similar to various systems, these materials that should seal and protect against harm in fact are decaying within society.

“Oh, totally,” says Herfeldt.

Earlier in her career with sealant applicators, Herfeldt used alternative odd mediums. Past displays featured organic-looking pieces crafted from the kind of nylon fabric found in in insulated clothing or in coats. Again there is the feeling these strange items could come alive – a few are compressed as insects in motion, some droop heavily from walls or spill across doorways attracting dirt from footprints (The artist invites audiences to interact leaving marks on pieces). Like the silicone sculptures, the textile works are also housed in – and escaping from – inexpensive-seeming display enclosures. The pieces are deliberately unappealing, which is intentional.

“The sculptures exhibit a specific look which makes one very attracted to, while also they’re very disgusting,” the artist comments with a smile. “It attempts to seem absent, but it’s actually very present.”

Herfeldt is not making work to make you feel ease or visual calm. Instead, her intention is to evoke discomfort, awkward, perhaps entertained. But if you start to feel water droplets overhead too, consider yourself the alert was given.