KEY POINTS:
Auckland Art Gallery is extending the shelf-life of its photographic collection from 30 to 300 years.
The gallery is moving more than 2800 images from the 1960s and 1970s, and earlier, into a purpose-built cool store to stop them from fading.
But the move is surrounded by mystery and intrigue, with the gallery refusing to disclose the location of the off-site store because of the value of the works it will hold.
Over the next 10 weeks, works by Brian Brake, Rob Morrison, and many other New Zealand photographers will be moved to the temperature and humidity-controlled storeroom.
Senior registrar David Reeves said it would mean future generations could enjoy the photographs.
"People will be familiar with their own photographs at home going pink and all sorts of wild colours. Keeping the images in the cool store will stop that from happening for another 300 years."
The 3m by 5m cool store will be kept at a temperature of 10C and a humidity of 40 per cent, which are the best conditions in which to preserve photographs.
The project will be overseen by Katherine Bol, who said handling so many iconic works was an exciting prospect. "You treat everything as if it is worth a million dollars."
