Devoid of people and color, the photographs are about the drama of the spaces and what they may represent. A number of Casebere's photographs from the mid 1990's invite viewers to imagine prison-like spaces modeled after actual prisons. These works express the solitude and loneliness of vast empty spaces while simultaneously referencing specific locations like Sing Sing or the Prison at Cherry Hill. The subject evokes the idea of social control while the images make reference to Foucault's writings about the panopticon. Casebere is interested in the relationship of institutions to our lives and explores this theme in his images of prisons, storefronts, and other public spaces.
Prisons are one type of institutional architecture, and prep schools are another.
In his latest series of photographs Casebere has constructed models of Philips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. In these works depicting dramatically lit hallways, Casebere has included subtle color like the pink of the walls, and the blue glow of the long hallway. This represents a departure from his previous work. In Pink Hallway 3 one is drawn into the receding space of the academic corridor. One can imagine students rushing through the archways on their way to class.