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.

PROJEKT - Ulrich Rückreim

"Ileana, I love you" - Maurizo Cattelan

CIVITAS Stadtpostkarten - Lothar Baumgarten

AUSSICHTSTURM, HOLZHAUS (WOHNHAUS), SCHWIMMBECKEN, FREIE FAHRT - Maria Eichhorn

The lmprobable Flow - Larry Bell

Project pour le parc de sculpture de Vassiviére - Paul-Armand Gette

2 Architecture Towers - Robert Irwin

Eight Days a Week - Joe Scanlan

The bridge according to Jeong-a's dream - Koo Jeong

Projet pour la Place Saint Léger à Chambery  - Erik Dietman

Agency of Unrealised Projects
Logo by Liam Gillick
#
Date
Title
Source
Description
Tags
W4070
23.05.2011
Rebeka Bučinel
WWW
The leading idea is not to create only a new home for culture in Miren, but to create a multi-purpose central square. ...
The leading idea is not to create only a new home for culture in Miren, but to create a multi-purpose central square. ...
D10800
06.09.2012
An unrealized interview - Nico Dockx
DAAD
Since my first meeting with Hans Ulrich Obrist on 15.03.2002 in his office at the Musée d'Art moderne de la ville de Paris -talking together about new kinds of slowness…- we tried for almost 10 years to go and visit the Greek filmmaker Theo Angelopoulo ...
Since my first meeting with Hans Ulrich Obrist on 15.03.2002 in his office at the Musée d'Art moderne de la ville de Paris -talking together about new kinds of slowness…- we tried for almost 10 years to go and visit the Greek filmmaker Theo Angelopoulo ...
W4355
25.05.2011
Veil of Ignorance - James Bae
WWW
Veil of Ignorance The proposal is to hold a weekly discourse on the site of the now demolished Stadtschloß and Palast der Republik. The chosen site is heavily charged with history, having been the seat of the Brandenburg Electors, Prussian Kings, and ...
Veil of Ignorance The proposal is to hold a weekly discourse on the site of the now demolished Stadtschloß and Palast der Republik. The chosen site is heavily charged with history, having been the seat of the Brandenburg Electors, Prussian Kings, and ...
U9557
23.04.1997
Eislandschaft - P. Fischli und D. Weiss
Unbuilt Roads
HEIZKRAFTWERK RÖMERBRUCKE STADTWERKE SAARBROCKEN - KUNSTPROJEKT - Bauherr: Stadtwerke Saarbrücken Projekt 3: "Eislandschaft" Künstler: P. Fischli und D. Weiss, Zürich Architekten: PAS, Jourdan und Müller Lage und Baubeschreibung ...
HEIZKRAFTWERK RÖMERBRUCKE STADTWERKE SAARBROCKEN - KUNSTPROJEKT - Bauherr: Stadtwerke Saarbrücken Projekt 3: "Eislandschaft" Künstler: P. Fischli und D. Weiss, Zürich Architekten: PAS, Jourdan und Müller Lage und Baubeschreibung ...
U9238
01.01.1994
PROJECT FOR A COMMUNITY CENTER, AVENUE DES NARCISSES, CHENOVE - Vito Acconci
Unbuilt Roads
Vito Acconci & Studio (Luis Vera, Jenny Schrider, Charles Doherty; with James Harrison, Jennifer Zackin, Jean Hahn) COMMUNITY CENTER, AVENUE DES NARCISSES, CHENOVE, FRANCE 1994 (To be built, 1998) Grass, trees, concrete, asphalt, steel, glass, lights, ...
Vito Acconci & Studio (Luis Vera, Jenny Schrider, Charles Doherty; with James Harrison, Jennifer Zackin, Jean Hahn) COMMUNITY CENTER, AVENUE DES NARCISSES, CHENOVE, FRANCE 1994 (To be built, 1998) Grass, trees, concrete, asphalt, steel, glass, lights, ...
W4180
24.05.2011
Legge Lewis Legge, (LLL) - Legge Lewis Legge
WWW
Legge Lewis Legge, (LLL) is a public art and architecture studio based in New York and Texas operated by architect Murray Legge AIA and filmmaker Deborah E. Lewis, both in Austin, and artist Andrea Legge in New York City. Since 2001, LLL has produced a wi ...
Legge Lewis Legge, (LLL) is a public art and architecture studio based in New York and Texas operated by architect Murray Legge AIA and filmmaker Deborah E. Lewis, both in Austin, and artist Andrea Legge in New York City. Since 2001, LLL has produced a wi ...
W4043
22.05.2011
THE LIVING WATER - Rodica A Miller
WWW
There have always been vanguardists, people with innovative ideas who opened new horizons and trends. For me, this is one of my unrealized projects for Art & Technology. As a subjective experience, my painting is an illusory world of colors, metaphors ...
There have always been vanguardists, people with innovative ideas who opened new horizons and trends. For me, this is one of my unrealized projects for Art & Technology. As a subjective experience, my painting is an illusory world of colors, metaphors ...
W3839
19.05.2011
La Burqa Project. - Lode Kuylenstierna
WWW
La Burqa Parapluie:
Poster: 59,4 cm × 42 cm 
Copyright Lode Kuylenstierna 2011 La Burqa Taxi:
Poster: 42 cm × 59,4 cm 
Copyright Lode Kuylenstierna 2011 La Burqa Bandage:
Poster: 42 cm × 59,4 cm 
Copyright Lode Kuylenstierna 2011 T ...
La Burqa Parapluie:
Poster: 59,4 cm × 42 cm 
Copyright Lode Kuylenstierna 2011 La Burqa Taxi:
Poster: 42 cm × 59,4 cm 
Copyright Lode Kuylenstierna 2011 La Burqa Bandage:
Poster: 42 cm × 59,4 cm 
Copyright Lode Kuylenstierna 2011 T ...
W3800
18.05.2011
Sinead McDonald
WWW
Part of a series of experimental explorations on the impact of medium and process on the reading of the photographic image, exploring the use of alternative print processes in altering viewers' responses. In using the historical processes of the cyanotyp ...
Part of a series of experimental explorations on the impact of medium and process on the reading of the photographic image, exploring the use of alternative print processes in altering viewers' responses. In using the historical processes of the cyanotyp ...
W4883
10.08.2012
An archive of feminist cabaret and theatre posters from 1977 and onward - Mathias Kryger
WWW
An archive of feminist cabaret and theatre posters from 1977 and onward I recently decided to chronicle a certain mode of production in a certain historical period through an idiosyncratic gathering of visual material, primarily posters. It is idiosy ...
An archive of feminist cabaret and theatre posters from 1977 and onward I recently decided to chronicle a certain mode of production in a certain historical period through an idiosyncratic gathering of visual material, primarily posters. It is idiosy ...
W5390
20.10.2012
Jesvin Yeo
WWW
Unrealized Project by Jesvin Yeo The initial intention of this project was to design and create a series of dolls to illustrate the dark period of Singapore in 1950s. When there had been more than 30 secret societies and almost everyday, there were gan ...
Unrealized Project by Jesvin Yeo The initial intention of this project was to design and create a series of dolls to illustrate the dark period of Singapore in 1950s. When there had been more than 30 secret societies and almost everyday, there were gan ...
W3787
18.05.2011
diSTRUKTURA
WWW
We would like to propose a situation in which we would place a landscape of a proposed city surrounding area under video surveillance. We are MA’s of Departments of Painting, Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Arts, Belgrade. We live in Belgrade, S ...
We would like to propose a situation in which we would place a landscape of a proposed city surrounding area under video surveillance. We are MA’s of Departments of Painting, Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Arts, Belgrade. We live in Belgrade, S ...
W4190
24.05.2011
ZhangLu
WWW
The political speech in China, most of speaker are speaked with unacceptable slow tunes. And clapping of the time may longer than a sentence. This project is consists of tow parts, a book and an online game. The book is about how to made the handclap in d ...
The political speech in China, most of speaker are speaked with unacceptable slow tunes. And clapping of the time may longer than a sentence. This project is consists of tow parts, a book and an online game. The book is about how to made the handclap in d ...
W3811
18.05.2011
Surgical Intervention (Intervençao cirurgica) - Kelly Tavares
WWW
English translation from Portuguese: This project is still underway. It started to be developed in Brasil, in 2007. The work has the modular unit, consisting of “cubificated” photographs cased in an acrylic transparent cube that is turned into art ...
English translation from Portuguese: This project is still underway. It started to be developed in Brasil, in 2007. The work has the modular unit, consisting of “cubificated” photographs cased in an acrylic transparent cube that is turned into art ...
W4464
25.05.2011
FLOW - Jane Ball
WWW
FLOW My proposal is to use the Pen Museum, Birmingham as an investigative site for the production of new works that build on ideas initiated in the work entitled ‘Cut’ (shown at the Vaults, Birmingham, 2010); ideas relating to the sculptural act o ...
FLOW My proposal is to use the Pen Museum, Birmingham as an investigative site for the production of new works that build on ideas initiated in the work entitled ‘Cut’ (shown at the Vaults, Birmingham, 2010); ideas relating to the sculptural act o ...
W3838
19.05.2011
Nicole Mortiboys
WWW
The images submitted to AUP are pages taken from a book on how to draw cartoons. (The title of the book has been forgotten). The book was found at Central Library, whilst studying on the MA fine Art course at, Birmingham City University, Margaret S ...
The images submitted to AUP are pages taken from a book on how to draw cartoons. (The title of the book has been forgotten). The book was found at Central Library, whilst studying on the MA fine Art course at, Birmingham City University, Margaret S ...
W5430
20.10.2012
VICTIMS OF SYMMETRY - Marcin Chomicki
WWW
VICTIMS OF SYMMETRY New cities are not established any more. The only way to build an ideal city is to be radical in means. The idea of the project is to trace an axis of symmetry and pull down half of the city. A mirror reflection is constructed to co ...
VICTIMS OF SYMMETRY New cities are not established any more. The only way to build an ideal city is to be radical in means. The idea of the project is to trace an axis of symmetry and pull down half of the city. A mirror reflection is constructed to co ...
U9248
14.02.1997
Electronic Theater - Laurie Anderson
Unbuilt Roads
Dear Hans-Ulrich Obrist, I'm sending some images to you on disk. There are four stills of a theater set. (et 1 and et 2 on the first disk and et 3 and et5 on the second disk.) These are printable using Photoshop 3.0. Here is the text you asked for ...
Dear Hans-Ulrich Obrist, I'm sending some images to you on disk. There are four stills of a theater set. (et 1 and et 2 on the first disk and et 3 and et5 on the second disk.) These are printable using Photoshop 3.0. Here is the text you asked for ...
W5345
18.10.2012
Lisa Bateman
WWW
An installation of public smell (ocean, brine, tar, old fish) -housed inside an abandoned parking shack at the site of the old Fulton Fish Market, NYC. Smell is emitted from a DMX HVAC scent through the fence and into public space. ...
An installation of public smell (ocean, brine, tar, old fish) -housed inside an abandoned parking shack at the site of the old Fulton Fish Market, NYC. Smell is emitted from a DMX HVAC scent through the fence and into public space. ...
W3509
11.05.2011
I gave you this picture because I was afraid you might forget me - Yvonne O'Reilly
WWW
CORNERHOUSE MICRO COMMISSIONS - (a site specific proposal) 'I gave you this picture because I was afraid you might forget me.' About your idea: What is your idea? The location – the CORNERHOUSE would provide me with the opportunity to create a ...
CORNERHOUSE MICRO COMMISSIONS - (a site specific proposal) 'I gave you this picture because I was afraid you might forget me.' About your idea: What is your idea? The location – the CORNERHOUSE would provide me with the opportunity to create a ...
W3604
13.05.2011
Nereida Garcia Ferraz
WWW
After the ruins of sities devastated by natural disasters and war, I began working in my studio with materials, cardboard, wood, light, and discarted objects, making structures that bring to mind, buildings and ancient cities, wells and theaters, stairs ...
After the ruins of sities devastated by natural disasters and war, I began working in my studio with materials, cardboard, wood, light, and discarted objects, making structures that bring to mind, buildings and ancient cities, wells and theaters, stairs ...
W4386
25.05.2011
MARTINEZ PETROPOULOS WHITE
WWW
THIS ISA NICE NEIGHBORHOOD - unrealized Moscone Center/Howard Street Project for a large scale urban public artwork selected thru competition by the Arts Commission of San Francisco. ...
THIS ISA NICE NEIGHBORHOOD - unrealized Moscone Center/Howard Street Project for a large scale urban public artwork selected thru competition by the Arts Commission of San Francisco. ...
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 ...
W4103
23.05.2011
On  Level  #01   - Håvard Pedersen
WWW
On Level #01 is/was intended to be an authentic looking Hultafors meter where each 1 cm mark would equal 1,1 cm. Though unnoticed at short distances this error would of course grow considerably and consistently provide a 10% error at any length. The meter ...
On Level #01 is/was intended to be an authentic looking Hultafors meter where each 1 cm mark would equal 1,1 cm. Though unnoticed at short distances this error would of course grow considerably and consistently provide a 10% error at any length. The meter ...
W5293
16.10.2012
Santes Tudful  - Andrew Leicester
WWW
Santes Tudful (Saint Tudful) Landmark for Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, UK Santes Tudful is an embodiment of her place-name Merthy Tydfil overlooking a major highway on the Anglos/Welsh border. Rahter than being remembered and sanctified because of her tragic ...
Santes Tudful (Saint Tudful) Landmark for Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, UK Santes Tudful is an embodiment of her place-name Merthy Tydfil overlooking a major highway on the Anglos/Welsh border. Rahter than being remembered and sanctified because of her tragic ...
W4779
03.06.2011
Trolling - Karen Hibbard
WWW
This project is too expensive for me to make without a grant and physically too large without paying for storage. However, the theme is relevant as it addresses issues around global warming and climate change as well as our addiction to consumerism an ...
This project is too expensive for me to make without a grant and physically too large without paying for storage. However, the theme is relevant as it addresses issues around global warming and climate change as well as our addiction to consumerism an ...