Unlike unrealized architectural projects, which are frequently exhibited and circulated, unrealized artworks tend to remain unnoticed or little known. But perhaps there is another form of artistic agency in the partial expression, the incomplete idea, the projection of a mere intention? Agency of Unrealized Projects (AUP) seeks to document and display these works. Whether censored, forgotten, postponed, impossible, or rejected, unrealized projects form a unique testament to the speculative power of non-action.

AUP follows the publication entitled “Unbuilt Roads: 107 Unrealized Projects,” collated by Hans Ulrich Obrist and Guy Tortosa after several years of international research conducted in the late 1990s. Twenty years later, the Agency of Unrealized Projects was formed in collaboration with Julieta Aranda and Anton Vidokle, and an open call for unrealized projects was issued for its first public exhibition at ArtBasel in 2011. The open call will continue until all unrealized art projects are compiled.

WATERWORKS - Mona Hatoum

PROJEKT - Ulrich Rückreim

Proposal for a permanent video installation for the NYC headquarters of Sony Corporation - Dara Birnbaum

Catwalk - Sylive Fleury

Prima del 73 - Fabio Mauri

Ruderaltisch, 1994/95 Kunst am Bau - Projekt - Lois Weinberger

Project tor the Veterans Administration Hospital--Bay Pines, Florida. - Robert Morris

NON REALIZED PROJECTS - Christo and Jeanne-Claude

Monument to Democracy - Kounellis

Jake and Dinos Chapman's five proposals for an empty plinth situated on central londons trafalgar square - Jake and Dinos Chapman

Agency of Unrealised Projects
Logo by Liam Gillick
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Date
Title
Source
Description
Tags
W4579
25.05.2011
URBAN ENTANGLEMENT - Annita Koutsonanou | Evy Tsolaki | Maria Spaniola
WWW
URBAN ENTANGLEMENT …I thought of a maze of mazes, of a sinuous, ever growing maze which would take in both past and future and would somehow involve the stars [..]. I thought that a man might be an enemy of other men, of the different moment of other ...
URBAN ENTANGLEMENT …I thought of a maze of mazes, of a sinuous, ever growing maze which would take in both past and future and would somehow involve the stars [..]. I thought that a man might be an enemy of other men, of the different moment of other ...
W4490
25.05.2011
TerraLoop - W.A.Davison
WWW
William A. Davison is a multi-disciplinary artist and composer living and working in Toronto, Canada. Through his solo sound and performance project Songs of the New Erotics, Davison has been applying classic experimental music techniques to conceptual/pe ...
William A. Davison is a multi-disciplinary artist and composer living and working in Toronto, Canada. Through his solo sound and performance project Songs of the New Erotics, Davison has been applying classic experimental music techniques to conceptual/pe ...
W4094
23.05.2011
UNREALIZEABLE PROJECT A000008 - Stefano W. Pasquini
WWW
UNREALIZEABLE PROJECT A000008: The gallery wall gets shot with a machine gun. The project almost got realized in 1996 in a gallery in Maastricht. Unfortunately the Dutch Police wouldn't allow the shooting to happen, even without public, and advised the us ...
UNREALIZEABLE PROJECT A000008: The gallery wall gets shot with a machine gun. The project almost got realized in 1996 in a gallery in Maastricht. Unfortunately the Dutch Police wouldn't allow the shooting to happen, even without public, and advised the us ...
W4259
24.05.2011
Why leave the shelter? - Arcady Kotler
WWW
Why leave the shelter? (The Tale of the construction of my shell) I don’t even remember when construction of the shelter started, but it happened somehow unnoticeably. When I was young it was nothing like a fortress, but just big opened space with e ...
Why leave the shelter? (The Tale of the construction of my shell) I don’t even remember when construction of the shelter started, but it happened somehow unnoticeably. When I was young it was nothing like a fortress, but just big opened space with e ...
W4122
23.05.2011
The Butterfly Tree - Chris Lipomi
WWW
There is a project which I have been thinking about and working on for quite some time now. Basically it is a living kinetic sculpture of a full sized tree (15/20 ft. tall), with living green tropical butterflies as the leaves. The tree itself, function ...
There is a project which I have been thinking about and working on for quite some time now. Basically it is a living kinetic sculpture of a full sized tree (15/20 ft. tall), with living green tropical butterflies as the leaves. The tree itself, function ...
W4507
25.05.2011
Second nature – A dystopian view into virtual farming - Aditi Ruiz
WWW
Second nature – A dystopian view into virtual farming There are 80 million urban farmers across the world, but they are farming virtually through social networks. What does this imply for the future of the farm? How is this reshaping our perception o ...
Second nature – A dystopian view into virtual farming There are 80 million urban farmers across the world, but they are farming virtually through social networks. What does this imply for the future of the farm? How is this reshaping our perception o ...
W5129
19.09.2012
SFAI Project Proposal - Leo Morrissey
WWW
SFAI Project Proposal. (2012) The project will entail spending one day walking throughout various neighborhoods in San Francisco. Through out the day I will digitally document various manhole covers, utility covers, water meter covers, etc…. ...
SFAI Project Proposal. (2012) The project will entail spending one day walking throughout various neighborhoods in San Francisco. Through out the day I will digitally document various manhole covers, utility covers, water meter covers, etc…. ...
W3490
11.05.2011
The boundless forwarding parcel - Eric Van Hove
WWW
The boundless forwarding parcel This unrealized project would consist in having a postal strongbox being shipped throughout the DHL or FedEx international express mail services endlessly. After it reaches a destination, the box is automatically shipped ...
The boundless forwarding parcel This unrealized project would consist in having a postal strongbox being shipped throughout the DHL or FedEx international express mail services endlessly. After it reaches a destination, the box is automatically shipped ...
W4866
09.08.2012
The Rat Gallery - Aasa Ersmark
WWW
Rat Gallery I would like to propose an art show specially designed for wild city rats. The Rat Gallery is installed under the floor of an appropriate space in a big city . For the opening party of the show , the rats get to enjoy con temporary art and th ...
Rat Gallery I would like to propose an art show specially designed for wild city rats. The Rat Gallery is installed under the floor of an appropriate space in a big city . For the opening party of the show , the rats get to enjoy con temporary art and th ...
W5468
21.10.2012
Sweet Auburn Multiscape - Alex Kerr
WWW
This contains a proposal for the Sweet Auburn Multiscape. It is a steel sculpture that mimics the skyline seen in the Sweet Auburn district in Atlanta over 40 years ago. The purpose of this piece is to reactivate the neglected neighborhood by calling atte ...
This contains a proposal for the Sweet Auburn Multiscape. It is a steel sculpture that mimics the skyline seen in the Sweet Auburn district in Atlanta over 40 years ago. The purpose of this piece is to reactivate the neglected neighborhood by calling atte ...
W3536
11.05.2011
Present through the Rearview Mirror - Ali Miharbi
WWW
Present through the Rearview Mirror Ali Miharbi (Nov. 2, 2010) Summary: “Present through the Rearview Mirror” will be a live animation depicting a crowd flowing through a specific public space, based on previously gathered data such as crowd move ...
Present through the Rearview Mirror Ali Miharbi (Nov. 2, 2010) Summary: “Present through the Rearview Mirror” will be a live animation depicting a crowd flowing through a specific public space, based on previously gathered data such as crowd move ...
W4983
27.08.2012
Tappeto Rosso - Judit Pusztaszeri
WWW
“Tappeto Rosso” Tappeto Rosso is a site-specific installation, which served as the preliminary stage of an architectural design. The installation was the result of an in-depth research process addressing various issues surrounding the site known ...
“Tappeto Rosso” Tappeto Rosso is a site-specific installation, which served as the preliminary stage of an architectural design. The installation was the result of an in-depth research process addressing various issues surrounding the site known ...
W4846
08.08.2012
Heterotopiaq = Shone-Makom - Chen Serfaty
WWW
Project Name: "Heterotopiaq = Shone-Makom" Heterotopia is a concept in human geography elaborated by philosopher Michel Foucault to describe places and spaces that function in non- hegemonic conditions. This project is about a space that has been int ...
Project Name: "Heterotopiaq = Shone-Makom" Heterotopia is a concept in human geography elaborated by philosopher Michel Foucault to describe places and spaces that function in non- hegemonic conditions. This project is about a space that has been int ...
W3980
21.05.2011
Untitled - Sky Fairchild-Waller
WWW
'Untitled' is a photo and text-based work that explores the poetics of a young mother raising a young girl. Meredith admired the speckles of flour that had landed on her apron. The print was floral; violet and pink flower buds, small and slightly fade ...
'Untitled' is a photo and text-based work that explores the poetics of a young mother raising a young girl. Meredith admired the speckles of flour that had landed on her apron. The print was floral; violet and pink flower buds, small and slightly fade ...
W4348
24.05.2011
Safe Haven - Farrell Brickhouse
WWW
Farrell Brickhouse Unrealized Projects The year before 9/11 I was unable to paint in my studio and I made a series of images about The World Trade Center on handy wall calendars. I lived on West Broadway one block north of the colossal buildings that ...
Farrell Brickhouse Unrealized Projects The year before 9/11 I was unable to paint in my studio and I made a series of images about The World Trade Center on handy wall calendars. I lived on West Broadway one block north of the colossal buildings that ...
W4127
23.05.2011
Proposed Future - Ann Marie Webb
WWW
Architecture is the most visible sign of a society's faith and trust in the future. The ability to move forward and construct a future is greatly effected by how our views are framed. This work explores the built landscape and its affects ...
Architecture is the most visible sign of a society's faith and trust in the future. The ability to move forward and construct a future is greatly effected by how our views are framed. This work explores the built landscape and its affects ...
W4211
24.05.2011
Elpida Karaba
WWW
Curating Un-realized. 9+1 Un-Realized Projects Revisited. Elpida Karaba, independent curator, theorist, Athens, Greece. In 2005 I have organized the curatorial/publication project, Curating Issues, 9+1 Un-Realized Projects. ...
Curating Un-realized. 9+1 Un-Realized Projects Revisited. Elpida Karaba, independent curator, theorist, Athens, Greece. In 2005 I have organized the curatorial/publication project, Curating Issues, 9+1 Un-Realized Projects. ...
W5058
03.09.2012
Tabakalera - Taller Basico de Arquitectura [TBA]
WWW
Tabakalera (2008) LE VOYAGE DANS LA LUNE The trip Us astronomers, motivated by our curiosity and thirst of knowledge, we have design a capsule – the golden room- that will enable us to discover other realities. The great event takes place, finally, a ...
Tabakalera (2008) LE VOYAGE DANS LA LUNE The trip Us astronomers, motivated by our curiosity and thirst of knowledge, we have design a capsule – the golden room- that will enable us to discover other realities. The great event takes place, finally, a ...
U9798
01.01.1972
Prima del 73 - Fabio Mauri
Unbuilt Roads
see my letter (eventually reasons why the work has not been realised) Anxiety Previous Publications (?) This thing is mentioned in "Fabio Mauri Opere e Azioni 1954-1994" Giorgio Mondadori Ed. Exisiting Documents (photos, drawings, models): ...
see my letter (eventually reasons why the work has not been realised) Anxiety Previous Publications (?) This thing is mentioned in "Fabio Mauri Opere e Azioni 1954-1994" Giorgio Mondadori Ed. Exisiting Documents (photos, drawings, models): ...
W5378
19.10.2012
Ocean Waves in the Desert Sky - Dena Peake
WWW
Set in a desert-like environment, the piece is a wind-activated, large scale kinetic sculpture that uses ocean imagery and sound. Windcatchers that resemble ocean waves are suspended above a rooftop to rotate and power the sound of ocean waves at street l ...
Set in a desert-like environment, the piece is a wind-activated, large scale kinetic sculpture that uses ocean imagery and sound. Windcatchers that resemble ocean waves are suspended above a rooftop to rotate and power the sound of ocean waves at street l ...
W4157
23.05.2011
UNDERGLOW - Carol Salmanson
WWW
UNDERGLOW Carol Salmanson PROJECT DESCRIPTION Underglow, a light installation inside six bays of a sidewalk shed, uses multiple kinds of light and reflective materials to create a many-hued, glowing experience. By marrying technology to aesthetic ...
UNDERGLOW Carol Salmanson PROJECT DESCRIPTION Underglow, a light installation inside six bays of a sidewalk shed, uses multiple kinds of light and reflective materials to create a many-hued, glowing experience. By marrying technology to aesthetic ...
W4412
25.05.2011
The Room102 Collective  - Room102 (Eleni Frudaraki & Juan Caicedo)
WWW
The Room102 Collective is a recently formed art collective currently in the pursue of finding what bonds it together conceptually. In it take part at the moment: Eleni Froudaraki * 1984 in Crete, Greece. She studied painting and sculpture in Athens School ...
The Room102 Collective is a recently formed art collective currently in the pursue of finding what bonds it together conceptually. In it take part at the moment: Eleni Froudaraki * 1984 in Crete, Greece. She studied painting and sculpture in Athens School ...
W5035
31.08.2012
Firstandlast - Heikki Salo
WWW
Firstandlast was submitted to ISEA 04 in Helsinki. The installation consists of a series of artificial worlds, ranging from videoscapes to fully abstract spaces (e.g. from natural landscapes to fractal universes) that represent the development of a fic ...
Firstandlast was submitted to ISEA 04 in Helsinki. The installation consists of a series of artificial worlds, ranging from videoscapes to fully abstract spaces (e.g. from natural landscapes to fractal universes) that represent the development of a fic ...
W4549
25.05.2011
Auto da fe.  - Paul Murnaghan
WWW
Auto da fe. Shortly before the demolition of Sean Tracey House AKA Pallas Heights, the keys to the gallery and studios will be handed over to Paul Murnaghan. Murnaghan has agreed with Pallas Heights’ curators, Mark Cullen and Brian Duggan, that he wil ...
Auto da fe. Shortly before the demolition of Sean Tracey House AKA Pallas Heights, the keys to the gallery and studios will be handed over to Paul Murnaghan. Murnaghan has agreed with Pallas Heights’ curators, Mark Cullen and Brian Duggan, that he wil ...
W4448
25.05.2011
Minaret Project - Joanna Rajkowska
WWW
Minaret Project ‘What is absolutely crucial for me is the relationship between the work, a real work in real space, and the body. One can hardly discuss a project’s impact on the public sphere if the project is not physically there, if everyone onl ...
Minaret Project ‘What is absolutely crucial for me is the relationship between the work, a real work in real space, and the body. One can hardly discuss a project’s impact on the public sphere if the project is not physically there, if everyone onl ...
W3966
21.05.2011
D.V. Rogers
WWW
LAMoves (LA*02010) - Are You Prepared? Pershing Square, Los Angeles, California 14th October - 21st October 2010 ©© D.V. Rogers 02010 url: http://la02010.allshookup.org Are You Sure You're Prepared? LAMoves was a socially driven, art-science ...
LAMoves (LA*02010) - Are You Prepared? Pershing Square, Los Angeles, California 14th October - 21st October 2010 ©© D.V. Rogers 02010 url: http://la02010.allshookup.org Are You Sure You're Prepared? LAMoves was a socially driven, art-science ...