Delving into Lisa Herfeldt's Eerie Silicone-Gun Sculptures: Where Things Seem Living
If you're planning washroom remodeling, you may want not to choose employing the sculptor for such tasks.
Indeed, she's a whiz in handling foam materials, creating intriguing creations from this unlikely art material. Yet longer you look at her creations, the more one notices that something feels slightly unnerving.
Those hefty tubes made of silicone she produces stretch over their supports on which they sit, drooping downwards below. The gnarled silicone strands swell before bursting open. Some creations leave their transparent enclosures entirely, turning into a collector for dust and hair. Let's just say the reviews are unlikely to earn favorable.
There are moments I feel the feeling that objects seem animated inside an area,” remarks Herfeldt. “That’s why I started using silicone sealant due to its a distinctly physical texture and feeling.”
Certainly there is an element somewhat grotesque regarding these sculptures, including the phallic bulge which extends, like a medical condition, from the support in the centre of the gallery, and the winding tubes of foam that burst as if in crisis. Displayed nearby, are mounted prints of the works captured in multiple views: resembling microscopic invaders picked up on a microscope, or colonies in a lab setting.
“It interests me is how certain elements in our bodies happening that also have their own life,” the artist notes. “Things that are invisible or command.”
Talking of elements beyond her influence, the poster promoting the event displays a picture of water damage overhead in her own studio in Kreuzberg, Berlin. The building had been built in the early 1970s and, she says, was quickly despised from residents since many old buildings got demolished for its development. By the time dilapidated upon her – who was born in Munich yet raised near Hamburg then relocating to Berlin during her teens – began using the space.
This decrepit property was frustrating for her work – she couldn’t hang her pieces without fearing risk of ruin – yet it also proved fascinating. Without any blueprints accessible, nobody had a clue methods to address the malfunctions which occurred. Once an overhead section within her workspace got thoroughly soaked it collapsed entirely, the single remedy involved installing the damaged part – thus repeating the process.
At another site, the artist explains the leaking was so bad that several drainage containers got placed in the suspended ceiling to divert leaks to another outlet.
“I realised that the structure resembled an organism, an entirely malfunctioning system,” the artist comments.
The situation evoked memories of the sci-fi movie, the director's first 1974 film featuring a smart spaceship that takes on a life of its own. As the exhibition's title suggests through the heading – three distinct names – other cinematic works influenced shaping Herfeldt’s show. Those labels point to the leading women from a horror classic, Halloween and Alien as listed. Herfeldt cites a 1987 essay from a scholar, that describes these “final girls” as a unique film trope – female characters isolated to save the day.
These figures are somewhat masculine, rather quiet and she can survive thanks to resourcefulness,” she elaborates about such characters. They avoid substances or have sex. And it doesn’t matter who is watching, everyone can relate to the survivor.”
She draws a parallel linking these figures and her sculptures – objects which only holding in place amidst stress they’re under. Does this mean the art really concerning cultural decay beyond merely water damage? Similar to various systems, these materials meant to insulate and guard us from damage are actually slowly eroding around us.
“Completely,” responds the artist.
Prior to discovering her medium using foam materials, she experimented with other unusual materials. Previous exhibitions included forms resembling tongues crafted from fabric similar to you might see in insulated clothing or in coats. Once more, there's the feeling these peculiar objects might animate – certain pieces are folded as insects in motion, others lollop down off surfaces or extend through entries attracting dirt from footprints (She prompts audiences to interact leaving marks on pieces). Similar to the foam artworks, the textile works are also housed in – and escaping from – cheap looking transparent cases. These are unattractive objects, and that's the essence.
“The sculptures exhibit a particular style that draws viewers very attracted to, while also they’re very disgusting,” she says amusedly. “It attempts to seem invisible, however, it is extremely obvious.”
Herfeldt is not making art to provide comfortable or visual calm. Rather, her intention is to evoke unease, odd, perhaps entertained. However, should you notice a moist sensation on your head additionally, don’t say the alert was given.