The Art Of Saving Lives

Poignant, surprising and otherworldly, this new photography project by Reiner Riedler shows medical machinery in a fresh light

- Tom Ireland

Photographer Reiner Riedler became interested in medical equipment after finding himself in an intensive neonatal care unit, where his critically ill newborn son, Viktor, was being cared for.

“I came from outside into a dark room, with all this soft light and beeping,” says Riedler, who is based in Vienna. “It was such a strong feeling of safety – I trusted the machines.”

Six months later he started to photograph machines that are used to save human lives, initially spending time in operating theatres. He soon decided he was uncomfortable with trying to photograph unconscious people and busy doctors.

Instead, he chose to photograph the technology itself, beginning with common hospital equipment such as dialysis machines. “Then I started to go to museums and archives, and I became more interested in those that tell a story, or those whose shape is metaphorical somehow,” says Riedler.

TWO LEGS GOOD

The Torque Controlled Humanoid Robot, or TORO for short, is used to study walking and balance. Keeping a 75kg machine upright is a huge challenge, but TORO can use its whole body to recover balance by, for example, grabbing onto solid objects or dropping to one knee. The aim is to create a robot that’s comfortable in domestic settings, able to climb stairs, step over obstacles and – we hope – do the dusting.

SAFE PLACE

Incubators provide controlled warmth, humidity and oxygen for premature or sick newborns, and allow continuous monitoring of a baby’s core body temperature. A double air curtain helps maintain a balanced climate inside the incubator. The incubator shown here is not the one that saved his now four-year-old son’s life, but it still provokes strong feelings for Riedler. “The machine itself looks almost alive inside,” he says.