Exploring Lisa Herfeldt's Sinister Sealant-Based Sculptures: In Which Objects Feel Alive

Should you be thinking about restroom upgrades, it might be wise to avoid hiring Lisa Herfeldt for the job.

Indeed, she's a whiz using sealant applicators, creating fascinating sculptures out of an unusual substance. Yet longer you examine her creations, the more it becomes apparent a certain aspect feels slightly strange.

The thick tubes of sealant she produces reach beyond display surfaces where they rest, drooping downwards towards the floor. The gnarled silicone strands swell till they rupture. Some creations break free from their transparent enclosures fully, evolving into a collector for grime and particles. Let's just say the reviews would not be pretty.

At times I get this sense that objects are alive inside an area,” remarks Herfeldt. Hence I came to use this foam material due to its a distinctly physical sensation and look.”

Certainly there’s something rather body horror about the artist's creations, starting with the suggestive swelling which extends, like a medical condition, from its cylindrical stand in the centre of the gallery, to the intestinal coils of foam that rupture as if in crisis. On one wall, are mounted photocopies showing the pieces 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 within us occurring that also have independent existence,” she says. “Things which remain unseen or command.”

Talking of elements beyond her influence, the exhibition advertisement for the show features a picture showing a dripping roof at her creative space in Kreuzberg, Berlin. The building had been erected decades ago and, she says, was quickly despised among the community because a lot of old buildings got demolished to allow its construction. It was already in a state of disrepair when Herfeldt – a native of that city yet raised in northern Germany before arriving in Berlin as a teenager – took up residence.

The rundown building caused issues for her work – she couldn’t hang her pieces without fearing risk of ruin – yet it also proved intriguing. Lacking architectural drawings on hand, no one knew the way to fix the malfunctions which occurred. When the ceiling panel within her workspace became so sodden it fell apart fully, the only solution meant swapping the damaged part – thus repeating the process.

In a different area, the artist explains the water intrusion was severe so multiple shower basins got placed within the drop ceiling in order to redirect the moisture elsewhere.

It dawned on me that the building acted as a physical form, a completely flawed entity,” Herfeldt states.

These conditions brought to mind a classic film, John Carpenter’s debut cinematic piece featuring a smart spaceship which becomes autonomous. And as you might notice given the naming – Alice, Laurie & Ripley – other cinematic works influenced shaping this exhibition. Those labels indicate the leading women from a horror classic, the iconic thriller plus the sci-fi hit respectively. The artist references a critical analysis written by Carol J Clover, that describes these “final girls” an original movie concept – protagonists by themselves to overcome.

“She’s a bit tomboyish, on the silent side and she can survive because she’s quite clever,” the artist explains about such characters. No drug use occurs nor sexual activity. And it doesn’t matter who is watching, we can all identify with the survivor.”

Herfeldt sees a similarity between these characters with her creations – elements that barely maintaining position amidst stress they’re under. Is the exhibition focused on societal collapse than just dripping roofs? As with many structures, such components intended to secure and shield from deterioration in fact are decaying around us.

“Completely,” she confirms.

Before finding inspiration with sealant applicators, Herfeldt used alternative odd mediums. Previous exhibitions featured forms resembling tongues using the kind of nylon fabric you might see in insulated clothing or inside a jacket. Similarly, one finds the sense such unusual creations might animate – a few are compressed resembling moving larvae, some droop heavily from walls blocking passages attracting dirt from footprints (The artist invites audiences to interact and soil the works). As with earlier creations, these nylon creations are similarly displayed in – leaving – budget-style transparent cases. These are unattractive objects, which is intentional.

“These works possess a particular style which makes one very attracted to, and at the same time they’re very disgusting,” she says with a smile. “It attempts to seem invisible, however, it is extremely obvious.”

Herfeldt is not making pieces that offer comfortable or visual calm. Conversely, she wants you to feel discomfort, awkward, or even humor. And if there's water droplets overhead as well, remember this was foreshadowed.