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.

Tulips for Amsterdam - Isa Genzken

Museum - Katharina Fritsch

Arrangement Stroom HCBK Den Haag - Ange Leccia

Relatum (Iron Plate and Stone) - Lee Ufan

Milan House (AC/DC & Joy Division) - Liam Gillick

Monumento all'agricoltura 1969-70 - Alighiero Boetti

Grand Concours International D'Architecture  - Sol Lewitt

Art and Ourselves: A Proposal for the city of Nordhorn - Allen Rupperssberg

Unbetitelt, Gänse-Projekt + Noch unbetitelt , " Durch den Mund sehen " + Kartoffeln  - Carsten Holler

Unrealized Turtles 1967 - Joseph Grigely

Agency of Unrealised Projects
Logo by Liam Gillick
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Date
Title
Source
Description
Tags
W4055
23.05.2011
“Illum” Proposal - Kat Kohl
WWW
Through my work, I explore the concept of how external surroundings impact the “internal” experience of the individual and how dimensional transformation alters the function of a form. I utilize the duality of material surfaces to create undulating pl ...
Through my work, I explore the concept of how external surroundings impact the “internal” experience of the individual and how dimensional transformation alters the function of a form. I utilize the duality of material surfaces to create undulating pl ...
W4411
25.05.2011
PROJECT SUN RITE „GRAVITATION“ REAL LIFE  - Maria Dundakova
WWW
PROJECT SUN RITE „GRAVITATION“ REAL LIFE place of communication = city of transformation Contribution for the first international Land Art Generator Initiative (LAGI) design competition 2010, Abu Dhabi The project is an open-ended work, a WORK I ...
PROJECT SUN RITE „GRAVITATION“ REAL LIFE place of communication = city of transformation Contribution for the first international Land Art Generator Initiative (LAGI) design competition 2010, Abu Dhabi The project is an open-ended work, a WORK I ...
W5208
04.10.2012
Lure - Noa Nahari
WWW
Noa Nahari Name: Lure Year: 2013/4 Neo Marxism claims the media are a tool to handle capitalistic power that wishes to exploit the working class to earn more money. For example, communication channels will produce programs that specifically attract a ...
Noa Nahari Name: Lure Year: 2013/4 Neo Marxism claims the media are a tool to handle capitalistic power that wishes to exploit the working class to earn more money. For example, communication channels will produce programs that specifically attract a ...
W4158
23.05.2011
CODE NAME: HELTER SKELTER - simon tyszko
WWW
CODE NAME: HELTER SKELTER In this project, code named Helter Skelter, I wish to create a series of unique sonic compositions to be performed and played upon (using various sensors, mikes, radio signals, selected instruments and the specific resonant ...
CODE NAME: HELTER SKELTER In this project, code named Helter Skelter, I wish to create a series of unique sonic compositions to be performed and played upon (using various sensors, mikes, radio signals, selected instruments and the specific resonant ...
W5141
21.09.2012
arrays - Steffen Kasperavicius
WWW
ARRAYS „Heutzutage ist kaum etwas realistischer als Utopien“ (Thornton Wilder, 1887-1975) Als diplomierter Medienkünstler interessiere ich mich bereits seit mehreren Jahren für die MinimalArt- und ConceptualArt-Tendenzen der 60er und 70er Jahre. I ...
ARRAYS „Heutzutage ist kaum etwas realistischer als Utopien“ (Thornton Wilder, 1887-1975) Als diplomierter Medienkünstler interessiere ich mich bereits seit mehreren Jahren für die MinimalArt- und ConceptualArt-Tendenzen der 60er und 70er Jahre. I ...
W5491
26.10.2012
AUDIOLABIA - Karen Hibbard
WWW
Arist Book Proposal by Karen Hibbard, Women’s Studio Workshop, 2011. The title merges the words ‘audio’ and ‘labia’. Audio is any refers to any representation of sound. Labium (plural labia) is a Latin‐derived term meaning "Lip".The labia are ...
Arist Book Proposal by Karen Hibbard, Women’s Studio Workshop, 2011. The title merges the words ‘audio’ and ‘labia’. Audio is any refers to any representation of sound. Labium (plural labia) is a Latin‐derived term meaning "Lip".The labia are ...
W5401
20.10.2012
Sculpture in a park - Alexandros Kaklamanos
WWW
Abstract of the Project Proposal Sculpture in a park During 2010-2011, a thorough research is conducted on the vortex. Now, a need is emerged to create a sculpture that will produce the vortex in a natural way, without using any electro mechanical assi ...
Abstract of the Project Proposal Sculpture in a park During 2010-2011, a thorough research is conducted on the vortex. Now, a need is emerged to create a sculpture that will produce the vortex in a natural way, without using any electro mechanical assi ...
W3865
19.05.2011
23rd Street Station MTA PROPOSAL 5-5-00 - Chris Twomey
WWW
The concept for this proposal evolved from my own experience riding the subway line last year when I had to travel with my infant. I would board the train at rush hour with her sleeping snugly positioned in my body. Then, I noticed the harried and tired ...
The concept for this proposal evolved from my own experience riding the subway line last year when I had to travel with my infant. I would board the train at rush hour with her sleeping snugly positioned in my body. Then, I noticed the harried and tired ...
W4669
25.05.2011
IPIRANGA  - Balam Bartolomé
WWW
IPIRANGA A project by Balam Bartolomé Porfirio Díaz was the president of Mexico for over 30 years. He was overthrew by the Mexican Revolution in 1910 and sent to exile in France. During his dictatorship, in 1904, the Palacio de Bellas Artes (Fine Ar ...
IPIRANGA A project by Balam Bartolomé Porfirio Díaz was the president of Mexico for over 30 years. He was overthrew by the Mexican Revolution in 1910 and sent to exile in France. During his dictatorship, in 1904, the Palacio de Bellas Artes (Fine Ar ...
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 ...
W3821
19.05.2011
Thanatopolis / Solace grove - Rebecca Keller
WWW
This was a proposal for a project called "Thanatopolis" --asking for outdoor works that explored the rituals of interment and memorialization. (This proposal was for an outdoor art environment that was also a place of memory) Imagine walking though ...
This was a proposal for a project called "Thanatopolis" --asking for outdoor works that explored the rituals of interment and memorialization. (This proposal was for an outdoor art environment that was also a place of memory) Imagine walking though ...
W10947
11.08.2015
Conduit - A.V. Ryan and Malin Abrahamsson
WWW
Conduit is many things: a recycling project, a purification ritual, a reclamation, a gift. One of the communities we aim to reach is the one that the gallery-going public habitually overlooks in Chelsea – the network of auto body shops and gas stati ...
Conduit is many things: a recycling project, a purification ritual, a reclamation, a gift. One of the communities we aim to reach is the one that the gallery-going public habitually overlooks in Chelsea – the network of auto body shops and gas stati ...
W10481
28.04.2014
The Geese of Feliferhof - Esther Shalev-Gerz with Jochen Gerz
WWW
Graz, Austria In 1996, Esther Shalev-Gerz and Jochen Gerz won an international competition launched by the Austrian government to pay tribute to those who opposed the Nazi regime. The artists proposed installing four white flags carrying red inscriptio ...
Graz, Austria In 1996, Esther Shalev-Gerz and Jochen Gerz won an international competition launched by the Austrian government to pay tribute to those who opposed the Nazi regime. The artists proposed installing four white flags carrying red inscriptio ...
W4172
24.05.2011
The Neverending Fence - Tom Butler
WWW
Statement for The Agency Of Unrealized Projects I use found postcards as miniature environments for sinister and fantastical scenarios. These proposals are not intended be realized and are also distanced from us by the age of the postcard, the only pl ...
Statement for The Agency Of Unrealized Projects I use found postcards as miniature environments for sinister and fantastical scenarios. These proposals are not intended be realized and are also distanced from us by the age of the postcard, the only pl ...
W5442
20.10.2012
GAZING BALL - Ann Daly
WWW
Ann Daly adaly@aya.yale.edu BUILDING DRAWING IV: "GAZING BALL" for the Crystal Palace, Retiro Park, Madrid, Spain: A giant stainless steel ball fabrication. Mirror-like surface reflects 'nature' - the surroundings- architecture-etc. An 'image' co ...
Ann Daly adaly@aya.yale.edu BUILDING DRAWING IV: "GAZING BALL" for the Crystal Palace, Retiro Park, Madrid, Spain: A giant stainless steel ball fabrication. Mirror-like surface reflects 'nature' - the surroundings- architecture-etc. An 'image' co ...
W10927
20.06.2015
If all the waves can be saved - Yifei He
WWW
One room, one chair with endless waves. I want to put waves into one space, it will end at the middle of the space, put one chair towards the waves . People can not step twice into the same river, and people also can not meet the very same two waves. ...
One room, one chair with endless waves. I want to put waves into one space, it will end at the middle of the space, put one chair towards the waves . People can not step twice into the same river, and people also can not meet the very same two waves. ...
W3491
11.05.2011
Urban Game: “Dharma the Digital Dog” - Andreas Maria Jacobs
WWW
Urban Game: “Dharma the Digital Dog” by Andreas Maria Jacobs Live video-projection game for e-mail, building & audience Jump, Move, Raise, Dog, Hoola Hoop, Girl E-Mail:puppet@burgerwaanzin.nl, Web: http://burgerwaanzin.nl/puppet The game p ...
Urban Game: “Dharma the Digital Dog” by Andreas Maria Jacobs Live video-projection game for e-mail, building & audience Jump, Move, Raise, Dog, Hoola Hoop, Girl E-Mail:puppet@burgerwaanzin.nl, Web: http://burgerwaanzin.nl/puppet The game p ...
W5489
26.10.2012
The Greatest Show on Earth is Leaving - Sascha Pohflepp
WWW
The Greatest Show on Earth is Leaving 3000 helium-filled balloons are held in place form the column-like vertical plume that resembles the one found just after the launch of a space rocket. After being released, the column dissipates under the influenc ...
The Greatest Show on Earth is Leaving 3000 helium-filled balloons are held in place form the column-like vertical plume that resembles the one found just after the launch of a space rocket. After being released, the column dissipates under the influenc ...
W4920
16.08.2012
Performance of my fairy tale on the Pfaueninsel - Ann McCoy
WWW
Unrealized Project: Performance of my fairy tale on the Pfaueninsel. I have written a fairy tale about the alchemist Johan Kunckel who lived on the Pfauenisel and made red glass. I would like to stage a performance of the fairy tale on the Pfaueninsel.. ...
Unrealized Project: Performance of my fairy tale on the Pfaueninsel. I have written a fairy tale about the alchemist Johan Kunckel who lived on the Pfauenisel and made red glass. I would like to stage a performance of the fairy tale on the Pfaueninsel.. ...
W4911
14.08.2012
Curricula vitae - Joseph Redwood-Martinez
WWW
Curricula vitae Elective ethnic studies programs throughout the state of Arizona have been under intense scrutiny since 2010, when Governor Jan Brewer signed HB 2281 into law, forbidding public or charter schools from offering at any grade level course ...
Curricula vitae Elective ethnic studies programs throughout the state of Arizona have been under intense scrutiny since 2010, when Governor Jan Brewer signed HB 2281 into law, forbidding public or charter schools from offering at any grade level course ...
W3585
13.05.2011
‘The Irlam House Bequest’ - David Jacques
WWW
Irlam House is a sixteen story tower block in Bootle, Merseyside. Sometime in the late 1980’s the resident Caretaker came into possession of a substantial collection of drawings. The drawings came to our attention when he recently brought one study to t ...
Irlam House is a sixteen story tower block in Bootle, Merseyside. Sometime in the late 1980’s the resident Caretaker came into possession of a substantial collection of drawings. The drawings came to our attention when he recently brought one study to t ...
W5173
26.09.2012
Jugoslav Mitevski
WWW
W4266
24.05.2011
M86 - Samuel Levack and Jennifer Lewandowski
WWW
A Proposal – M86 As the end of the year is culled, we invite a fresh adventure. A journey, to the heart of the UK landscape. A journey, through the blood metaphor. We propose: a one-week road trip in which we will visit the site of all 86 of the se ...
A Proposal – M86 As the end of the year is culled, we invite a fresh adventure. A journey, to the heart of the UK landscape. A journey, through the blood metaphor. We propose: a one-week road trip in which we will visit the site of all 86 of the se ...
W4726
26.05.2011
The Centralizer - Scott Richardson
WWW
The Centralizer The inspiration for this device came about to address the plight of the city-dweller trapped in a densely populated urban environment, who needed to decompress, ground themselves, and/or get in touch with nature and natural rhythms, a ...
The Centralizer The inspiration for this device came about to address the plight of the city-dweller trapped in a densely populated urban environment, who needed to decompress, ground themselves, and/or get in touch with nature and natural rhythms, a ...
W5052
03.09.2012
Hall of Residence for the UPV - Taller Basico de Arquitectura [TBA]
WWW
Hall of Residence for the UPV (2011) AIR STRATA This metal cloud made from three air strata rises on its own footprint. The interior is opened into two equal halves, generating a large interior street opened to the sky and to the ground plane, which ...
Hall of Residence for the UPV (2011) AIR STRATA This metal cloud made from three air strata rises on its own footprint. The interior is opened into two equal halves, generating a large interior street opened to the sky and to the ground plane, which ...
W5393
20.10.2012
Nursery - Ismini Chacholiadou
WWW
photographic series “Nursery” This series of photographs began as a project where Ismini Haholiadou was exploring different trajectories in her practice. Where she previously set up spaces and scenes to photograph, in this project she scouted for ...
photographic series “Nursery” This series of photographs began as a project where Ismini Haholiadou was exploring different trajectories in her practice. Where she previously set up spaces and scenes to photograph, in this project she scouted for ...