American Interiors depicts the psychological repercussions of war and military service through images of the interiors of cars owned by veterans in the USA. Over the course of the 5 years ML Casteel spent working with veterans, he became aware of subtle indications of past traumatic experience. Recognizing that the condition of one’s dwelling can often be a signifier for one’s state of well­being, Casteel began to see the state of the car interiors as manifestations of human interiors.

American Interiors is Casteel’s attempt to bridge a deep sense of rebellion and outrage towards institutionalized violence via warfare and the American military industrial complex with the empathy he holds for the people who have survived the military experience.

I first met ML Casteel while studying together at the Hartford Photo MFA Limited Residency Program. We quickly became friends, and during his first year at Hartford spent he completed his project “American Interiors.” As of yet this series has not been featured online widely, and I hope more people are able to see and consider the work. American Interiors is scheduled to be released as a monograph by Dewi Lewis Publishing in 2018.