Shane Reiner-Roth introduces Cliff Garten, who combines architecture, engineering, and landscape to explore the expressive potential of infrastructure.

Cliff Garten discusses his studio based in Venice, California and the interdisciplinary nature of his practice. He shows his installation of laser cut plates for the atrium of the University of Rhode Island's Graduate School of Oceanography, his sculpture for the lobby of the Martin Luther King Health Center, and an entrance piece in North Hollywood's art district entitled Sentient Beings. He talks about the origins of site specific sculpture and references Donald Judd’s installations in Marfa, Texas. He also discusses the rise of functional sculpture made by artists such as Scott Burton, Mary Miss, and Siah Armajani. He discusses his Corridor of Light for Rosslyn, Virginia and the challenges of working with the city and community at that scale.

Garten discusses his work on the Avenue of Light for Fort worth, Texas, his landscape design for the General Services Administration in San Francisco, and a large scale sculpture for the atrium of the Interdisciplinary Center at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine in Madison. He talks about transitioning from traditional methods to digital tools, and he discusses his two-dimensional prints mixing traditional and digital mediums.

Garten discusses his bridges, specifically the bridge over La Cienega Boulevard at the Baldwin Hills Conservancy in Los Angeles and the bridge over the Sammamish River in Seattle, Washington. He also covers his work on two projects for the city of Calgary, Alberta; a public art plan for the creative potential of the public infrastructure and two gateway stations for the city's light rail system.