You had us at ‘Venice’!,” responded the PCPers in
Brisbane, Australia, at the 17th International Congress on PCP,
listening to the proposal from the Institute of Constructivist
Psychology in Padua, Italy, to host the 18th International
Congress at Venice. The members of the organizing committee,
chaired by Massimo Giliberto, could not attend the Brisbane
congress, so they sent a nicely produced DVD and asked Richard
Bell, one of the Australian organizers, to present their case
and advocate for them. The presentation described their ideas
for the congress and the proposed setting, along with their
plaintive plea that we agree to let them host the 2009
gathering. We all enjoyed the presentation, but, in the end, we
quickly and easily agreed to endorse their request. The
presentation could have ended at “Venice.”
The XVIIIth (18th) International Congress on
Personal Construct Psychology took place from July 20-24, 2009
at the conference center on the island of San Servolo, a
10-minute water bus ride from Piazza San Marco, the “soul”
of Venice. San Servolo has experienced a varied past, beginning
as a convent, serving as a military hospital and then a mental
hospital, and now its current incarnation as a conference
center. A very small island (perhaps a 5-minute walk around its
circumference), with lovely buildings and gardens, it provided
an oasis of serenity with astounding views of Venice, the Lido,
the Dolomite Alps (on a clear day), and the bustling activity of
the Venice lagoon. Participants enjoyed comfortable, modern
accommodations, good food and drink, and meeting rooms with the
latest technology.
More than 200 registrants made this one of the
most well-attended congresses in recent memory. They comprised
a very diverse group, with 21 countries and six continents
represented. Italy contributed nearly 100 registrants, with a
large contingent of students in the constructivist psychotherapy
graduate program at the Institute of Constructivist Psychology,
directed by Massimo Giliberto. Other well-represented European
countries include the UK, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Germany, and
Serbia, with additional participants from Scotland (yes, I know
some think that’s redundant with the UK, but some Scots
registered that way), Turkey, Norway, Cyprus, Russia, and the
Czech Republic. A colleague from Egypt represented the African
continent. Australasia contributed participants from Australia,
New Zealand, and Japan, while representation from the Americas
included the USA, Canada, Mexico, and Brazil.
The Congress program echoed the rich diversity
and volume of the participants, with two Pre-conference
workshops; six Plenary sessions by noted European colleagues
such as Trevor Butt, Vivian Burr, Mary Frances, Harry Proctor,
Jörn Scheer, Dušan Stojnov, and David Winter; 70 Paper sessions;
5 Symposia; 9 Workshops; and 18 Posters. Of course, the
informal activities also engaged large numbers of
constructivists, and as you can well imagine the bar and snack
shop, with both indoor and outdoor seating, remained busy
throughout the conference.
Less intellectual highlights included the third
"Evening of Creative Construing", organized by Viv Burr and Jörn
Scheer. Many participants sang, played piano, clarinet, and
guitar, and recited poetry, and a jazz group, consisting of
saxophones, clarinet, e-bass and rhythm, entertained us. The
event took place outdoors in the evening, and received
enthusiastic engagement and support from the audience, well
assisted by Prosecco, Italy’s famous sparkling wine.
Customarily, the conference program provided for a free
afternoon and evening, which most participants celebrated with
sight-seeing and dinner in Venice. The crowds of tourists from
all over the world and the hot weather did not interfere with
enjoyment of the sights of this famous, “must-see” city. The
traditional “Gala Dinner” took place in central Venice. We
gathered at the water taxi dock around 8:30 p.m. for the
10-minute ride into Venice and then followed our local guide for
a 10-minute walk to A La Vecia Cavana restaurant, located in the
center of Venice near Fondamenta Nuove. In the bustling,
charming atmosphere we sampled cuisine typical of Venice. The
restaurant specializes in fish and the 5-course menu included
aperitifs, appetizers, first and second courses, side-dishes, a
dessert, mineral water, wine (which kept flowing generously),
coffee and liqueur. We then took a water taxi transport after
the dinner from the canal dock at Fondamenta Nuove back to San
Servolo.
As a
capstone to the final plenary session, we invited the
participants to visit us here in North America. Amberly
Panepinto presented a slide show about the upcoming CPN
Conference at Niagara Falls in 2010, and Jack Kahn presented
Curry College in the Boston area as our proposed venue for the
19th International Congress in 2011. We look forward to both of
these conferences, and particularly to hosting the next
International Congress in 2011. We look forward to both of
these conferences, and particularly to hosting the next
International gathering in North America.
Island of San Servolo
