Exploring Lisa Herfeldt's Sinister Sealant-Based Sculptures: Where Objects Appear Living

If you're planning bathroom renovations, it's advisable not to choose employing the sculptor for the job.

Indeed, she's a whiz with a silicone gun, crafting compelling artworks from this unlikely substance. Yet as you observe her creations, the clearer one notices that an element is a little unnerving.

The thick tubes made of silicone she produces extend past display surfaces supporting them, drooping off the edges below. The knotty foam pipes swell before bursting open. Certain pieces break free from the display cases completely, becoming a collector for grime and particles. It's safe to say the reviews might not get positive.

There are moments I feel this sense that objects seem animated inside an area,” says the German artist. Hence I came to use this foam material because it has a distinctly physical feel and appearance.”

Indeed there’s something somewhat grotesque regarding Herfeldt’s work, including the phallic bulge which extends, similar to a rupture, off its base within the showspace, to the intestinal coils made of silicone that burst resembling bodily failures. Displayed nearby, the artist presents images depicting the sculptures seen from various perspectives: resembling microscopic invaders picked up on a microscope, or colonies in a lab setting.

I am fascinated by is the idea in our bodies occurring that seem to hold independent existence,” Herfeldt explains. Elements which remain unseen or control.”

Talking of things she can’t control, the exhibition advertisement for the show features a photograph showing a dripping roof within her workspace located in Berlin. It was erected decades ago and, she says, was quickly despised by local people because a lot of older edifices were removed to allow its construction. The place was run-down upon her – originally from Munich although she spent her youth in northern Germany then relocating to Berlin as a teenager – began using the space.

The rundown building caused issues for her work – it was risky to display the sculptures without concern risk of ruin – however, it was intriguing. With no building plans accessible, no one knew methods to address the problems that arose. When the ceiling panel in Herfeldt’s studio was saturated enough it collapsed entirely, the only solution meant swapping the panel with a new one – thus repeating the process.

In a different area, the artist explains the leaking was so bad that a series of drainage containers were installed above the false roof to channel the moisture elsewhere.

I understood that this place was like a body, an entirely malfunctioning system,” the artist comments.

This scenario evoked memories of a classic film, the initial work cinematic piece about an AI-powered spacecraft which becomes autonomous. As the exhibition's title suggests through the heading – three distinct names – more movies have inspired shaping the artist's presentation. Those labels refer to main characters in Friday 13th, another scary movie and the extraterrestrial saga respectively. She mentions a 1987 essay by the American professor, that describes the last women standing as a unique film trope – protagonists by themselves to save the day.

They often display toughness, reserved in nature and she can survive due to intelligence,” the artist explains regarding this trope. “They don’t take drugs or engage intimately. It is irrelevant the viewer’s gender, we can all identify with the final girl.”

The artist identifies a parallel between these characters with her creations – things that are just about staying put despite the pressures affecting them. Does this mean the art more about social breakdown beyond merely water damage? As with many structures, such components intended to secure and shield us from damage are actually slowly eroding around us.

“Completely,” says Herfeldt.

Prior to discovering her medium in the silicone gun, Herfeldt used other unusual materials. Previous exhibitions featured forms resembling tongues made from a synthetic material found in on a sleeping bag or apparel lining. Again there is the impression such unusual creations could come alive – a few are compressed like caterpillars mid-crawl, others lollop down on vertical planes or spill across doorways attracting dirt from footprints (Herfeldt encourages audiences to interact and soil the works). As with earlier creations, these nylon creations are similarly displayed in – leaving – budget-style acrylic glass boxes. They’re ugly looking things, and that's the essence.

“The sculptures exhibit a particular style that somehow you feel very attracted to, yet simultaneously being quite repulsive,” the artist comments with a smile. “It tries to be absent, but it’s actually very present.”

Herfeldt is not making work to make you feel ease or beauty. Instead, she wants you to feel uncomfortable, awkward, or even humor. But if you start to feel water droplets from above too, remember you haven’t been warned.

Amanda Bauer
Amanda Bauer

A structural engineer with over 15 years of experience in designing sustainable building solutions and sharing industry insights.