Modern color prints drying after being washed again following the flood at Avebury Manor. Photo by Anna Barnes.

The long-term preservation of printed photographs—given the complex chemical reactions they are inherently subject to, and their fragile paper support—is already a major challenge under normal circumstances. But the accelerating climate change in the world has made photographic collections an even greater and more urgent challenge, ahead of other media. International institutions, such as the European Parliament and the National Trust (a UK heritage conservation organization), have warned in reports of the need to change protocols for the maintenance, display, storage, and preservation of historical or artistic photographs, especially older ones, as cases of deterioration of these works due to global warming increase.

In 2023, in a study called Museums, libraries and archives in the face of climate change challengesThe European Parliament identified that, at that time, only three out of ten museums examined changes in the face of climate impacts, and two-thirds of them reported that they did not have sufficient knowledge about climate action (60% of the European museums analyzed did not conduct any research on climate change). This situation has been changing and is already mobilizing several institutions around the world (there are reports of museums adopting new strategies, such as the Beaubourg in Paris and the MoMA in New York). However, there is a less favorable scenario along the way – photography does not enjoy the same status as painting or sculpture, for example, and many private collections may often be inadequately cared for or stored.

Brazilian governments and municipalities maintain precious photographic originals in their offices, and there is no known public policy action to analyze the effects of the situation on these collections. The European Parliament has issued general warnings about the impact of rising temperatures, torrential rains, and floods on the protection of cultural heritage and collective memory, the subject of works stored in museums, archives, galleries, and libraries. These are supports made of paper, leather, canvas, silk, wood, stone, and bronze. "Each category requires different storage conditions regarding temperature, humidity, light exposure, etc. If these conditions are not guaranteed, the integrity of these artifacts is threatened by mechanical, chemical, and biological factors," says a report. The European Union has offered to help institutions face these challenges by coordinating specialized technical studies, advocating for budgets for cultural institutions, working on recommendations, and exchanging knowledge and experiences accumulated by museums.

Arte!Brasileiros She spoke with Anita Bools, Senior National Conservator of Paper and Photography at the National Trust in the United Kingdom. The National Trust is particularly interested in the issues surrounding the effects of climate change on photographic collections, as analyzed in a... studyThe National Trust participated in two panels at COP30, the Climate Conference, in Belém: Culture at the Heart of Climate Policy and Action – A Collective Effort (Mutirão) e Cultural Power for Climate Action: Storytelling, Heritage & the Creative Industries.

Art! ✱ – Do you at the National Trust have statistics on the effects of climate change on photography? Are there specific guidelines for museums and institutions?

Anita Bools – I don't have statistics on the impact of climate change and adaptation on photographic collections. Little has been published on the subject. But adaptation to climate change is a growing concern, among the many other pressures that heritage collections face. For the National Trust, as a leader in the preservation of the built and natural environment in the United Kingdom, this issue is of particular relevance and concern for several reasons. For example, some of the buildings we preserve are located in vulnerable areas, such as near regions increasingly prone to flooding. Furthermore, unlike museum collections, most of our collections, which encompass all types of objects, including textiles, furniture, sculptures, paintings, etc., are displayed in open spaces, indoors, and not in museum display cases, which exposes them to greater risk due to inclement weather.

Art! ✱ – Here in Brazil, collecting photographs has become more common in recent decades. We also have exemplary institutions here, such as the Instituto Moreira Salles and Itaú Cultural. How can private collectors, who have significant photographs in their homes, businesses, and public spaces, prepare for this issue?

Private collections can be more vulnerable to damage. Like the collections of the National Trust, they are not kept in a 'museum environment', i.e., protected by display cases or air-conditioned storage. However, in the UK, the National Trust collections have trained staff to identify problems, and the storage facilities – while not air-conditioned – have other means of environmental control. It is a challenge for owners of photographic collections to recognize the needs of their photographic materials and know the best way to care for them.

Art! ✱ – I heard that color photographs are being particularly affected by global warming, and that some colors are fading. Is that true?

It is true that many types of color photography are more chemically reactive to the environment than black and white (monochrome) photography. Climate change impacts this in various ways. For example, higher temperatures and more humid conditions have a negative impact on all photographs, but can be faster/more severe in some colorization processes – causing, for example, general fading or fading of specific colors, loss of definition, discoloration, etc. The Image Permanence Institute (Institute of Image Permanence | RIT) It contains a lot of useful information on this subject. Henry Wilhelm was a pioneer with his important research and book, The Permanence and Care of Color Photographs (The Permanence and Care of Color Photographs), published in 1993. Currently, there are many online resources available to help.

Art! ✱ – Why does photography attract such unique attention in this context of climate emergency?

Photographs are special objects. However, they are often seen as banal and commonplace, not necessarily valued in the same way as, for example, exquisite pieces of furniture or oil paintings. Nevertheless, photographs are created for many reasons – to record people, places, events – to persuade, to inform – or misinform, as aesthetic images or even just as a quick way to take notes; they have the capacity to help people create emotional connections, to tell our stories, to contribute to our understanding of the people who made or owned them. Family photo albums are often cited as the objects that would be the first to be saved from a fire – or a flood.


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