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If you're planning bathroom renovations, it might be wise not to choose engaging Lisa Herfeldt for the job.

Certainly, she's an expert using sealant applicators, creating compelling sculptures out of an unusual art material. Yet longer you look at the artworks, the stronger it becomes apparent that something is a little unnerving.

The thick lengths from the foam Herfeldt forms stretch beyond display surfaces on which they sit, drooping over the sides towards the floor. Those twisted silicone strands expand until they split. A few artworks escape the display cases completely, becoming an attractor for dust and hair. One could imagine the ratings are unlikely to earn positive.

There are moments I feel an impression that items are alive within a space,” remarks Herfeldt. This is why I came to use this foam material because it has this very bodily feel and appearance.”

Certainly one can detect rather body horror regarding these sculptures, including the suggestive swelling that protrudes, like a medical condition, from its cylindrical stand within the showspace, and the winding tubes of foam that burst as if in crisis. On one wall, Herfeldt has framed prints showing the pieces captured in multiple views: appearing as squirming organisms picked up on a microscope, or colonies on culture plates.

I am fascinated by is the idea in our bodies occurring that also have their own life,” Herfeldt explains. “Things that are invisible or manage.”

Talking of unmanageable factors, the exhibition advertisement for the show displays a picture of the leaky ceiling within her workspace in Kreuzberg, Berlin. Constructed made in the seventies and according to her, faced immediate dislike among the community since many historic structures were removed for its development. By the time in a state of disrepair upon her – originally from Munich yet raised in northern Germany then relocating to Berlin during her teens – moved in.

This decrepit property was frustrating to Herfeldt – placing artworks was difficult her art works anxiously risk of ruin – yet it also proved compelling. Without any blueprints available, it was unclear how to repair the problems that arose. After a part of the roof within her workspace became so sodden it gave way completely, the single remedy meant swapping the panel with a new one – and so the cycle continued.

Elsewhere on the property, Herfeldt says dripping was extreme that a series of collection units got placed in the suspended ceiling to divert leaks to another outlet.

It dawned on me that this place was like a body, a totally dysfunctional body,” she says.

This scenario evoked memories of Dark Star, the initial work movie from the seventies featuring a smart spaceship which becomes autonomous. As the exhibition's title suggests from the show’s title – a trio of references – other cinematic works influenced shaping the artist's presentation. These titles indicate the leading women in the slasher film, the iconic thriller and Alien in that order. She mentions an academic paper from a scholar, outlining these surviving characters an original movie concept – female characters isolated to save the day.

These figures are somewhat masculine, rather quiet and they endure due to intelligence,” says Herfeldt of the archetypal final girl. “They don’t take drugs or engage intimately. Regardless the viewer’s gender, all empathize with the survivor.”

Herfeldt sees a parallel linking these figures to her artworks – things that are just about maintaining position despite the pressures they face. Does this mean the art really concerning social breakdown beyond merely dripping roofs? As with many structures, such components intended to secure and shield against harm are actually slowly eroding around us.

“Completely,” says Herfeldt.

Earlier in her career in the silicone gun, she experimented with different unconventional substances. Previous exhibitions have involved forms resembling tongues crafted from fabric similar to you might see in insulated clothing or in coats. Again there is the feeling such unusual creations seem lifelike – some are concertinaed resembling moving larvae, pieces hang loosely off surfaces blocking passages gathering grime from contact (Herfeldt encourages audiences to interact and soil the works). Like the silicone sculptures, these nylon creations are also housed in – leaving – cheap looking acrylic glass boxes. They’re ugly looking things, which is intentional.

“The sculptures exhibit a particular style that draws viewers highly drawn to, while also they’re very disgusting,” the artist comments amusedly. “It attempts to seem not there, however, it is highly noticeable.”

The artist does not create pieces that offer relaxation or aesthetically soothed. Rather, she wants you to feel uncomfortable, odd, or even humor. But if you start to feel a moist sensation overhead as well, remember this was foreshadowed.