BBC Focus

Poignant,

surprising and

otherworldly, this

new photography

project by Reiner

Riedler shows

medical machinery

in a fresh light

Words: Tom Ir ela nd

hotographer 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 t hat a re used to save huma n 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.

THE

ART OF

SAVING

LIVES

MEDICINE

P