Arts & Culture

The business of mourning never stops especially in a country where death itself has become a tourist attraction.

Fighting the dropout rate for African-American youth; the Jewish-Palestinian Dialogue; and Witness To History: a conversation with recording engineer Stephen Barncard.

To subscribe to the Crosscurrents podcast in iTunes, click here. To use another podcasting tool, click here.

In the interest of firm footing, let's first approach Momentum Still, a group installation now at headquarters gallery, by way of literal description. First observation: Ornately patterned rugs carpet the small, downtown Berkeley storefront studio, softening the usually hard-tiled interior. Second: A wreath of tree boughs, several feet in diameter, occupies the room's middle space, suspended from the ceiling by taut twine. The wreath itself supports a loose weave of string and wood planks, suggesting a sort of reconfigured dream catcher or rustic veil. A constellation of pinecones hangs in its midst. Third: One wall is paneled with salvaged wood planks of various shapes and sizes. The nooks between their strata contain little surprises: crystals, dried moss, 'zines, dollar bills, and so on.