Architectural renderings that are too realistic leave little to the imagination. At the opposite end of the spectrum, these folded-paper interiors are more like words than images on the page, encouraging the viewer to fill in the blanks and add depth using their mind.

Simon Schubert‘s haunting paper buildings are produced only by folding the paper – millimeter-scale differences catch and reflect light, creating the illusion of subtle line drawings via implied outlines.

The structures themselves are in some cases based on real buildings or destroyed structures – palaces, estates, institutions and more both past and present. Others, like the mansion in this video are fictional creations strung together, unfolding in a silent narrative.

Their author indeed cites literary over artistic or architectural influences, including Samuel Beckett and Edgar Allan Poe: “loneliness, isolation, loss and disappearance are the reoccurring issues in his paper works and sculptures. The mysterious and unsettling atmosphere his works radiate confronts the viewer with his own subconscious fears and anxieties.”