Registration is great; we don't need further advertisment... it's just so hard to stop writing about all Bern has to offer! SPR-2011 Bern, Switzerland Society for Psychotherapy Research 41st International Meeting, June 29-July 2, 2011 3rd Newsletter, May 2011 Welcome! This newsletter serves the purpose of giving those who have decided to come to Bern some information that is possibly useful in making plans beforehand. Of course, it also serves the purpose of keeping those jealous who can't come. First of all a reminder in case somebody has not booked the flight yet: Swiss is our official carrier. Use the link under "travel information" on our home page! if you have not reserved a hotel yet we advise to do so immediately! Much information related to travelling, registration, etc.: See FAQ's on the home page Getting to Bern: Depending on what travel plans you have it may be worth buying a pass for the Swiss railways system. Information in English: http://www.swisstravelsystem.ch/en/. If you go for this option, make sure you use it already for the first trip from the airport to Bern. So it's worth dealing with the issue before you start your trip! Lunches/accompanying persons Accompanying persons have the possibility of registering for the welcome reception only instead of the full package with all meals. Given space limitations for lunches we encourage this. Banquet There is still room for more people at the Saturday night banquet. You can still register for the banquet on the conference homepage. Please register now, we need the required number of seats/meals. The banquet will take place in the Kultur Casino, a magnificient building right in the heart of the city that offers a beautiful view of Bern. Live music and dancing are course part of the deal! There will also be quiet space if you prefer to talk without "noise"! (fees: 90 US$ for non students, 80 US$ for students) Menues in English: See home page!
If you want to use the chance to know more about the Swiss: If you want to have your copy signed: Bewes directs the English Book Shop in the Stauffacher book shop in Bern. Swiss Watching is utterly absorbing and brilliantly written. In his unique and engaging style Diccon Bewes zeroes in on the Switzerland we don't really know, the one that's hidden behind all those majestic peaks, quaint chalets, well-fed cows and the chocolate, cheese and precision watches. The book is a comprehensive and very fair account of all things Swiss - especially the people- and the author's sharp and perceptive observations cut through to the very core of the national mentality. Want a book about Switzerland full of gushy prose extolling the country's numerous virtues?...dozens of such books exist, have been around for a hundred years and may be found in the travel section of bookshops the world over. Prefer a no-holds-barred, balanced treatise that will accurately reveal the Swiss to you in a way you never thought possible?...this is THE book. For author Diccon Bewes, researching and then writing Swiss Watching has clearly been a labour of love; he is to be heartily congratulated for producing such an outstanding and seminal work in which he truly has nailed the Swiss like no-one has before. As it's right up there with the most enjoyable and informative books I've ever read. (An Amazone Review) If you want to test the autor's writing or simply find Switzerland too expensive anyway, go to Bewes' blog "Ten free things to do in Switzerland" (http://swisswatching.wordpress.com/2011/04/20/ten-free-things-to-do-in-switzerland/) For those who don't have the time to go into any depth: "Swiss" is the adjective for Switzerland. It is neither the adjective for Sweden, nor does it (originally mean clean nor healthy (although it's flattering for us if used this way) On the left you see the Red Cross Flag. It makes sense to use it to indicate where you find any kind of medical aid. On the right you see the Swiss flag. It does not make any sense to use it for medical aid. In the true flag, the white part consists of five equilateral squares, not rectangles. You can burn the Swiss flag without being punished, but you have to do so without polluting the environment.
Getting around IN Bern: It's costly to have/park a car in the city. In the city center it's easy to walk. There are, in addition, excellent bus, tram, and city train connections. For transportation in Bern and in the area close to Bern you can buy a week pass for zones 10/11, which costs 36.00 francs. If you have a hotel in the city and intend to walk to the conference site, and stay only for the conference days, it does not pay, else it may, and it also gives you the comfort of not having to seek money and buy a ticket each time you use a bus. These "Bern Mobil" (= urban transportation system) passes can't be bought on line, you get them at the "Libero Shop" (Bubenbergplatz 5, (vis-àvis Loeb), 3011 Bern. Info online (unfortunately only in German): http://www.bernmobil.ch/seiten/aktuell/?oid=1213&lang=de A bike you can rent for free for the first 4 hours - if you don't mind that McDonalds is the main sponsor: http://www.bernrollt.ch/ ("Bern rolls") You need to deposit an ID and 20.- Francs. Every following hour costs 1.- Franc. Be aware of the hills in Bern. You can also rent an electric bike. conference site
Museums: (hints from Martina Belz) please verify the opening hours before you go there! Before the conference:(21.05-28.06.2009) Spring Gardens, Tue-Sun 10.00-18.00, 1.5 car hours, 100 m from Bern; 2 hrs. by public transportation): The gardens of chateau Vullierens, in in the very special surrounding of a country estate with view into the vineyards, lake Geneva and the Alps, is unique in Switzerland. New garden design, art gallery & exhibition of sculptures, famous iris collection, tea room, boutique. Adresse http://www.jardinsdesiris.ch/ Jardins du Château de Vullierens, Jardin d'iris, 1115 Vullierens Telefon: +41 (0)79 274 79 64, info@jardindesiris.ch, www.jardindesiris.ch Swiss National Museum, Zurich (right beside the main railway station) Other permanent exhibitions are on such diverse and Swiss topics as Swiss furnishing, battles, coins, arms and clothing, armory, and costumes. Special exhibitions on the WWF and Bernese songwriter Mani Matter. http://www.musee-suisse.ch/e/index.php, Tel. +41 (0)44 218 65 11 The permanent exhibition HISTORY OF SWITZERLAND reveals Swiss history from the earliest times to the present day, looking at four thematic areas. The first section shows the history of migration and settlement, the second examines religious and intellectual history, in the third Swiss political history is looked at and the fourth section focusses on the economic development of the country.
Museums: (continued) Fondation Beyeler in Riehen/Basel This is one of the greatest art museums in Switzerland, based on the collection of famous galerist Beyeler, in the unique building by star architect Renzo Piano. Summer exhibition with Constantin Brancusi (1876 1957) and Richard Serra (*1939). Brancusi s and Serra s works meet in an open-ended dialogue, while both can also be understood as comprising a concentrated retrospective of the two oeuvres. An exemplary selection of about 40 Brancusi sculptures is juxtaposed with a superb ensemble of 10 sculptures and a range of works on paper by Serra. These reflect the development of his idea of sculpture over the past forty years, in a form never before seen in Switzerland. This holds for Brancusi, too, to whom a retrospective had yet to be devoted in our country. Divided into thematic groupings of works, the exhibition avoids strict chronology. It is more like an open-ended game that plays out in the museum spaces, with moments when the sculptures meet directly, but also sequences of rooms devoted to one or the other artist, but whose visual experience is mutually conditioned. open: Baselstrasse 101 CH-4125 Riehen +41 061 645 97 00 fondation@fondationbeyeler.ch www.fondationbeyeler.ch daily 10-18, Wed. 10-20 Uhr The Lucerne artist Rudolf Blättler (*1941) is one of the most important sculptors of the present. Parallel to his sculptures, he worked on a comprehensive graphical oeuvre, which is on exhibit here. In the center are his ink drawings with the topic "body", which developed in the last five years. Luzern, beautifully situated at the lake, is about 1 train hour from Bern. Open Wed-Sat 14.00 17.00 Uhr, Sunday 11.00-17.00 Uhr Museum im Bellpark, Luzernerstrasse 21, 6011 Kriens, +41 041 310 33 81 E-Mail: museum@bellpark.ch, URL: www.bellpark.ch
Museums: (continued) Again in Basel: Museum Jean Tinguely. Swiss sculpturist. Special Exhibition "Car fetish. I drive, therefore I am" Museum Tinguely Paul Sacher-Anlage 2 P.O. Box 3255 CH-4002 Basel + 41 61 681 93 20 Opening hours: Tuesday-Sunday 11-18 h Monday closed. Back to Zurich: Kunsthaus Zürich: Roman Ondák (and permanent exhibitions) Heimplatz 1 +41 (0)44 253 84 84 info@kunsthaus.ch www.kunsthaus.ch Measuring the Universe MOM, N.Y, Sat/Sun/Tues 10 a.m. -6 p.m. Wed-Fri 10 a.m.- 8 p.m. Closed Mondays. The Kunsthaus Zürich is the first museum in Switzerland to mount a solo show of work by Slovakian artist Roman Ondák (*1966). Ondák, among the leading proponents of a new conceptual art, has made a name for himself in recent years with contributions to key international group shows such as the 2009 Venice Biennale and solo exhibitions at renowned institutions like New York s MoMA and Tate Modern, London. Depending on the context Ondák works with a variety of media, creating drawings, photographs, sculptures and performative works, frequently subjecting the institution of the museum and its mechanisms as well as the relation of humanity to ist world to critical scrutiny.the Kunsthaus show is a collaboration with Modern Art Oxford and the K21 Düsseldorf. Roman Ondák will conceive a new piece, created for the Kunsthaus and on show exclusively in Zurich. A comprehensive monograph will accompany the exhibition.
Now to Bern: in Bern also: Historic Museum (including Einstein), Museum of Natural History Kunstmuseum, just a few steps from the railway station Hodlerstrasse 8-12, 3000 Bern 7,+41 31 328 09 44, info@kunstmuseumbern.ch http://www.kunstmuseumbern.ch Tuesday 10-21h, We-Sun 10-17h, Mo closed. Endless Possibilities: Martin Ziegelmüller An Overview of his Work.The Retrospective on Martin Ziegelmüller taking place simultaneously in the Kunstmuseum Bern and in the Kunsthaus Langenthal will be the first comprehensive overview of this Swiss artist s multifaceted work. In a very palpable way, it presents the development of the artist s subject matter from the beginning of his career to the present. While the Kunstmuseum Bern focuses on his landscapes and urban panoramas, the Kunsthaus Langenthal shows besides landscapes depicting rivers gouaches of working life as well as portraits of friends and acquaintances from the art scene. Paul Klee Museum, by architect Renzo Piano, Bus 12 directly from University. Paul Klee who lived and worked in Bern does not need any introduction. Monument im Fruchtland 3, 3000 Bern 31, + 41 (0)31 359 01 http://www.paulkleezentrum.ch/ww/en/pub/web_root.cfm Mon closed, Tue Sun 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. A nice small, but interesting museum in historic Burgdorf, 1/2 hour from Bern Museum Franz Gertsch, Platanenstrasse 3, 3401 Burgdorf +41 34 421 40 20 info@museum-franzgertsch.ch www.museum-franzgertsch.ch Mon and Tue: closed, Wed - Fri: 10am - 6pm, Sat and Sun: 10am - 5pm
Open air museum Ballenberg near Brienz (Bernese Oberland) Craftsmen demonstrate old crafts and trades in traditional workshops using original tools. There is wood carving, basket weaving, spinning, weaving, bobbin-lace making and forging, cheese making and bread baking, to name but a few. Come and have a look round the kitchens, bedrooms and living rooms of the authentically reassembled homes and farm buildings from centuries past. On a spacious 163 acres you will be able to admire typical homes and hamlets from virtually every part of Switzerland. daily 10.00 a.m.- 5.00 p.m. By train from Bern: 1 hr. 35 min. http://www.ballenberg.ch/en/welcome Schloss Spiez (nicely situated at the lake of Thun, 1/2 hour by train): Adolf Hölzel and his Swiss Students. Schloss Spiez Schlossstrasse 16 3700 Spiez +41 (0)33 654 15 06 admin@schloss-spiez.ch Mo 14-17 Uhr, Tue- Sun 10-17. www.schloss-spiez.ch
La Chaux-de-Fonds: Musée des beaux-arts (old small industry city in the Jura Mountains; 1 hr+ by train from Bern) Exposition d'oskar Kokoschka - cabinet des curiosités. And collection. the exhibit is a selection of the collection of the Austrian painter Oskar Kokoshka "tout au long de sa vie en le mettant en dialogue avec son oeuvre artistique et littéraire". Musées 33 2300 La Chaux-de-Fonds, +41 032 967 60 77 mba.vch@ne.ch http://cdf-mba.ne.ch 10-17 (daily, as it seems)... and then the amazing museum in a mountain valley in the Valais: Fondation Pierre Gianadda, Martigny (2hrs or less by train from Bern) Rue du Forum 59, daily 9 am to 7 pm +41 27 722 39 78 info@gianadda.ch www.gianadda.ch Please make sure to reserve some time for the conference participation!
Sports In the next and last newsletter right before the conference we will give hints for walking tours. If you are into serious mountaineering, you may want to check the site of the guides in Grindelwald (Canton of Bern: http://www2.grindelwaldsports.ch/cms/front_content.php), Zermatt (Canton of Valais:http://www.alpincenter-zermatt.ch/welcome.html) or other mountain destinations, such as Saas Fee, Chamonix, etc.. Equipment can easily be rented. If you want to make your first 14'000er (in feet) or 4'000er (in meters), we recommend the Allalinhorn in Saas Fee, or the Breithorn in Zermatt. Guided tours in small groups cost 185.- SFr. If you have some fitness and are not afraid of hights, you can make it; no technical climbing implied. View from the Allalinhorn to Matterhorn & Mont Blanc / Breithorn Make your SPR congress memorable beyond interesting papers, it's worth every Swiss franc! For those who are rather mountain phobic: You can swim right in the middle of the city in the clean river Aare. It may be cool, but it will also be a memorable event for sure. And sailing, golfing, jogging, hornussing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/hornussen), Schwingen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/schwingen), learning to play the Alphorn (http://www.alphorn.ca/school.htm) in the Bernese Oberland...