EXHIBITION NOSTALGIA AIN'T WHAT IT USED TO BE

I've discovered that holding an exhibition in the Shetland Museum is not the simple straightforward process that it once was. In days of yore (the 1990s) I turned up with my pictures (having previously established a date with the museum staff) at ten in the morning, hung and labelled them, gave the curator a list for his records, and I was normally addressing a pint of lager in a local hostelry by midday. Now I have to hang three days before the opening date, having provided the exhibitions co-ordinator with comprehensive details of the exhibition weeks before that date.

In bygone days, at the close of the show, I got my work down fast, as the next exhibitor was breathing down my neck. I did a quick tally with the curator as to how much cash I'd made and how much commission was due from me. I took my customer's cash and cheques to the bank, and that was it. Now, after the event is finished, I have to agree a figure with the museum, deduct 20% (+VAT!!!) from my total, raise an invoice to the Shetland Amenity Trust for what is due to me, and wait up to 30 days thereafter for them to deign to give me a cheque. The whole process is so hidebound in bureaucracy that any enjoyment I may have derived from the experience is largely dissipated in the quagmire of rules and regulations. Never mind - I'm getting some bureaucracy of my own going! I'm challenging the legality of charging me VAT on their commission. I'm not registered for VAT and I don't believe I'm obliged to pay this.