It was late night, completely dark, but the space was big-there were about 20 children peacefully sleeping in incubators-and suffused with little lights and beeps. I asked the doctor to give me a few minutes to look at this amazing space.—Reiner Riedler

The Lifesaving Machines is a project by Austrian photographer Reiner Riedler that was sparked by complications during his son’s birth. Riedler recalls an inspiring moment in the quote above; as he sat in the neonatal intensive care unit alongside his newborn son, he was overcome with gratitude for the advances in medical technology and equally fascinated by the surrounding machines that simulated the human body. Riedler’s series explores the challenging topics of illness, medical crisis and death, but at an intentional and thoughtful distance. He respectfully chose not to include people, instead capturing these important machines and components in a neutral way.

Riedler is represented by the Anzenberger Agency.