Matthias Jung Creates Photo Collages of Whimsical Houses Using Photoshop
In his father’s photo lab, Matthias Jung’s passion for collage-making was born. There, he used scissors and glue to create his first series of fanciful houses in the form of photo collages.
In 2015, the Stuttgart-based graphic designer decided to get back to his old hobby but using a different method; Photoshop. He used the photo-editing software program to recreate his incredible surreal houses. As Photoshop enabled him to overcome reality, it also allowed him to freely modify his work by the mere click of a button. Most of Jung’s photo collages are composed of bits and pieces of photographs which he had taken on his trips to northeastern Germany.
“I am always amazed at how architectural details can evoke certain associations and feelings,” said Jung, discussing his collages. “This is how a latticed window conveys coziness; one might even say it is soulful. Framework is soothing, sometime1s touching. Antennas have something sinister about them. They point to something outside the picture. Concrete is cold and foreign – but maybe interesting for just that reason.”
“I love including elements that cause different associations to collide with one another. I was especially pleased when I was able to use my grandmother‘s old tea warmer in Expedition to the East Pole,” he added.

© Matthias Jung

You Promised Me a Gingerbread Heart. Image © Matthias Jung

The End of Numbers. Image © Matthias Jung

Supergod. Image © Matthias Jung

Searching For the Enchanted Whale. Image © Matthias Jung

My Grandfather Was a Spice Dealer. Image © Matthias Jung

Lord Kumulus and the Journey to the Blue Moon. Image © Matthias Jung

Long After the Anger We Made a World Trip. Image © Matthias Jung

Cloudgardener, Did You Fall in Love. Image © Matthias Jung

All Was Power. Image © Matthias Jung

Emily Reyes is a Brooklyn-based architecture writer and Article Curator at Arch2O, known for her sharp eye for experimental design and critical theory. A graduate of the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc), Emily’s early work explored speculative urbanism and the boundaries between digital form and physical space. After a few years in Los Angeles working with boutique studios on concept-driven installations, she pivoted toward editorial work, drawn by the need to contextualize and critique the fast-evolving architectural discourse. At Arch2O, she curates articles that dissect emerging technologies, post-anthropocentric design, and contemporary spatial politics. Emily also lectures occasionally and contributes essays to independent design journals across North America.