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Should you be thinking about bathroom renovations, you may want to steer clear of engaging the sculptor for such tasks.

Truly, Herfeldt is highly skilled in handling foam materials, crafting fascinating sculptures from this unlikely medium. However the more look at these pieces, the more you realise that an element feels slightly unnerving.

The thick tubes from the foam she crafts extend over the shelves on which they sit, sagging downwards to the ground. Those twisted foam pipes expand before bursting open. Some creations leave their transparent enclosures fully, evolving into a magnet for grime and particles. It's safe to say the feedback are unlikely to earn favorable.

There are moments I feel the feeling that things possess life within a space,” says Herfeldt. Hence I came to use this substance as it offers such an organic sensation and look.”

Indeed there’s something almost visceral about Herfeldt’s work, from the phallic bulge which extends, similar to a rupture, off its base within the showspace, to the intestinal coils made of silicone that rupture resembling bodily failures. Displayed nearby, Herfeldt has framed prints of the works viewed from different angles: they look like wormy parasites observed under magnification, or colonies in a lab setting.

I am fascinated by is how certain elements inside human forms taking place that seem to hold a life of their own,” Herfeldt explains. “Things that are invisible or control.”

On the subject of unmanageable factors, the poster featured in the exhibition features an image of the leaky ceiling within her workspace in the German capital. The building had been made in the seventies and, she says, faced immediate dislike from residents since many old buildings were torn down for its development. It was already run-down as the artist – originally from Munich but grew up north of Hamburg before arriving in Berlin during her teens – moved in.

This decrepit property caused issues for the artist – placing artworks was difficult her art works without fearing they might be damaged – however, it was intriguing. With no building plans on hand, nobody had a clue methods to address any of the issues that developed. Once an overhead section within her workspace got thoroughly soaked it gave way completely, the only solution meant swapping the damaged part – perpetuating the issue.

At another site, Herfeldt says the leaking was so bad that several drainage containers were installed above the false roof in order to redirect the moisture elsewhere.

“I realised that this place acted as a physical form, a completely flawed entity,” Herfeldt states.

This scenario reminded her of the sci-fi movie, John Carpenter’s debut movie from the seventies about an AI-powered spacecraft that develops independence. As the exhibition's title suggests given the naming – three distinct names – more movies have inspired shaping Herfeldt’s show. These titles point to the female protagonists in Friday 13th, the iconic thriller and Alien respectively. She mentions a 1987 essay by the American professor, outlining these “final girls” an original movie concept – women left alone to overcome.

“She’s a bit tomboyish, on the silent side and she can survive thanks to resourcefulness,” she elaborates regarding this trope. No drug use occurs nor sexual activity. It is irrelevant the viewer’s gender, all empathize with the survivor.”

The artist identifies a connection linking these figures to her artworks – elements that barely holding in place under strain they’re under. So is her work more about social breakdown than just leaky ceilings? Similar to various systems, these materials that should seal and protect from deterioration are actually slowly eroding in our environment.

“Oh, totally,” she confirms.

Before finding inspiration with sealant applicators, she experimented with different unconventional substances. Recent shows included organic-looking pieces crafted from a synthetic material typical for on a sleeping bag or apparel lining. Similarly, one finds the impression such unusual creations seem lifelike – certain pieces are folded like caterpillars mid-crawl, some droop heavily from walls blocking passages attracting dirt from footprints (The artist invites audiences to interact and dirty her art). As with earlier creations, those fabric pieces are similarly displayed in – and escaping from – cheap looking display enclosures. These are unattractive objects, which is intentional.

“These works possess a certain aesthetic that somehow you feel compelled by, while also being quite repulsive,” she says grinning. “It tries to be absent, but it’s actually very present.”

Herfeldt is not making work to make you feel ease or visual calm. Instead, she aims for unease, awkward, perhaps entertained. However, should you notice a moist sensation on your head too, consider yourself this was foreshadowed.