Delving into Lisa Herfeldt's Eerie Sealant-Based Artistry: Where Objects Appear Living

If you're planning bathroom renovations, it's advisable to steer clear of engaging Lisa Herfeldt for the job.

Certainly, she's an expert with a silicone gun, creating intriguing sculptures with a surprising medium. However the more observe these pieces, the stronger it becomes apparent that an element is a little unnerving.

The thick strands made of silicone she produces stretch beyond the shelves supporting them, sagging off the edges to the ground. The gnarled silicone strands expand till they rupture. Some creations leave their transparent enclosures entirely, evolving into a collector for grime and particles. It's safe to say the reviews might not get positive.

At times I get this sense that objects are alive inside an area,” remarks Herfeldt. “That’s why I turned to silicone sealant due to its a distinctly physical feel and appearance.”

In fact there is an element somewhat grotesque about these sculptures, including that protruding shape jutting out, similar to a rupture, from the support within the showspace, to the intestinal coils made of silicone which split open resembling bodily failures. On one wall, Herfeldt has framed photocopies showing the pieces captured in multiple views: resembling wormy parasites picked up on a microscope, or growths in a lab setting.

What captivates me is how certain elements in our bodies happening that seem to hold independent existence,” the artist notes. “Things you can’t see or command.”

Talking of things she can’t control, the promotional image featured in the exhibition features an image showing a dripping roof in her own studio in Kreuzberg, Berlin. It was built in the early 1970s and according to her, was quickly despised among the community as numerous historic structures were removed for its development. The place was dilapidated as the artist – who was born in Munich but grew up north of Hamburg before arriving in Berlin during her teens – took up residence.

The rundown building proved challenging for her work – it was risky to display her pieces without fearing they might be damaged – but it was also compelling. Without any blueprints available, no one knew how to repair the problems which occurred. When the ceiling panel in Herfeldt’s studio got thoroughly soaked it fell apart fully, the sole fix was to replace it with another – and so the cycle continued.

In a different area, Herfeldt says dripping was extreme that a series of drainage containers were installed in the suspended ceiling to divert the moisture elsewhere.

It dawned on me that this place acted as a physical form, a totally dysfunctional body,” Herfeldt states.

This scenario brought to mind the sci-fi movie, the director's first movie from the seventies concerning a conscious ship which becomes autonomous. As the exhibition's title suggests given the naming – a trio of references – more movies have inspired shaping Herfeldt’s show. These titles refer to the female protagonists from a horror classic, the iconic thriller and Alien respectively. The artist references a 1987 essay written by Carol J Clover, outlining these “final girls” a distinctive cinematic theme – women left alone to triumph.

These figures are somewhat masculine, reserved in nature enabling their survival because she’s quite clever,” the artist explains about such characters. No drug use occurs or have sex. It is irrelevant the viewer’s gender, everyone can relate to the survivor.”

She draws a parallel between these characters and her sculptures – elements that barely holding in place despite the pressures affecting them. So is her work focused on social breakdown rather than simply leaky ceilings? As with many structures, substances like silicone intended to secure and shield from deterioration are actually slowly eroding in our environment.

“Completely,” says Herfeldt.

Prior to discovering her medium with sealant applicators, Herfeldt used different unconventional substances. Recent shows included forms resembling tongues using a synthetic material typical for within outdoor gear or in coats. Once more, there's the feeling such unusual creations might animate – certain pieces are folded as insects in motion, some droop heavily off surfaces or extend through entries gathering grime from contact (She prompts viewers to touch and soil the works). As with earlier creations, these nylon creations are also housed in – leaving – budget-style transparent cases. The pieces are deliberately unappealing, and that's the essence.

“The sculptures exhibit a certain aesthetic which makes one compelled by, and at the same time they’re very disgusting,” Herfeldt remarks with a smile. “It attempts to seem absent, however, it is highly noticeable.”

The artist does not create pieces that offer ease or visual calm. Instead, her intention is to evoke unease, odd, perhaps entertained. And if there's water droplets on your head too, remember this was foreshadowed.