by Calanno, M. and Tse, N.
ABSTRACT
Tropical climates pose higher risks to museum collections and people, if not understood and managed. The higher temperatures and humidities experienced by memory institutions situated in the tropics, has long been a challenge as organisations engage with collection care beyond the universally claimed environmental controls and climate change. This study examines the influence of climate on collections belonging to the National Museum of the Philippines and the interpretation of material changes and collections at risk. Informing the paper is environmental data recorded from 2013 to 2024 from several floors and galleries from the National Museum of Anthropology and National Museum of Fine Arts, as well as the experiential engagement with the collection over the same period, to examine the dynamics of change in urban, tropical climates, the culture of museum care and sovereignty. Micro-organisms are regularly identified signalling high risk to the collections, museum staff, and visitors; and mechanical failure of composite collections. Mechanical systems are intermittently used during the day and off at night, while periods during the pandemic when air conditioning was not in use, is a chance to examine energy consumption, passive climates and whether this is a real option in the tropics. Having the opportunity to experience, rethink and reflect on collections in the tropics, is creating strategies for collection care in hot, humid climates, and more broadly has increasing relevance for collections outside the global south as wider discussions on museum environments and de-centralised goals are being embraced.
