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.

Engel-Detektor - Jakob Gautel & Jason Karaïndros

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

Grand Concours International D'Architecture  - Mahe Gilles

Cruzeiro Do Sul, (Southern Cross) (Crucero del Sur) 1969-70* - Cildo Meireles

Invitation Space No.1 - Tania Mouraud

Memorial - Ilya Kabakov

KEEPING IN TOUCH - Allan Kaprow

Aguapracasa - Gabriel Orozco

"Ileana, I love you" - Maurizo Cattelan

The World Record - General Idea

Agency of Unrealised Projects
Logo by Liam Gillick
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Date
Title
Source
Description
Tags
W3951
20.05.2011
DISCOVERY of the GRAND UNIFICATION THEORY, or CHOOSE DETERMINISM - Alyce Santoro
WWW
my unrealized project is an extra-scientific contribution to the GRAND UNIFICATION THEORY in physics. DISCOVERY of the GRAND UNIFICATION THEORY, or CHOOSE DETERMINISM, the Unrealized Project of Alyce Santoro Physicists are working around the cloc ...
my unrealized project is an extra-scientific contribution to the GRAND UNIFICATION THEORY in physics. DISCOVERY of the GRAND UNIFICATION THEORY, or CHOOSE DETERMINISM, the Unrealized Project of Alyce Santoro Physicists are working around the cloc ...
W5231
08.10.2012
Trespassing - Ole Brodersen
WWW
The series “Trespassing” explores encounters between human and nature. Human-made objects are placed into a landscape, where their interactions with the natural elements are recorded. The photographer harnesses the forces of wind, currents and wave ...
The series “Trespassing” explores encounters between human and nature. Human-made objects are placed into a landscape, where their interactions with the natural elements are recorded. The photographer harnesses the forces of wind, currents and wave ...
W4532
25.05.2011
Sculpture Center In Practice  - Kristin Jones / Andrew Ginzel
WWW
KRISTIN JONES / ANDREW GINZEL Sculpture Center In Practice PROPOSAL In the open-air volume of the garden courtyard adjacent to the mass of the main building we propose to draw three precise geometries that the site itself suggests: Two planes of pa ...
KRISTIN JONES / ANDREW GINZEL Sculpture Center In Practice PROPOSAL In the open-air volume of the garden courtyard adjacent to the mass of the main building we propose to draw three precise geometries that the site itself suggests: Two planes of pa ...
W4066
23.05.2011
Public Phones - János Sugár
WWW
My work is a public telephone located centrally in a city, or in the lobby of a public building. There is a board above the telephone on which is written: "This is a free phone, but the conversations are being recorded and published later word by word." ...
My work is a public telephone located centrally in a city, or in the lobby of a public building. There is a board above the telephone on which is written: "This is a free phone, but the conversations are being recorded and published later word by word." ...
W3809
18.05.2011
Josh Young
WWW
This PDF file is a rough account of a performance artwork which, although attempted, was not realised in it's originally conceived form. Other artists showing work at the event (KINDIVAL, 2009) included Neil Cummings and Dan Smith. ...
This PDF file is a rough account of a performance artwork which, although attempted, was not realised in it's originally conceived form. Other artists showing work at the event (KINDIVAL, 2009) included Neil Cummings and Dan Smith. ...
W3835
19.05.2011
‘Jsut Code - Winnie Soon
WWW
‘Jsut Code’ is a collaborative installation in which participants are invited to decode electronic texts written by a collective of distributed writers. ...
‘Jsut Code’ is a collaborative installation in which participants are invited to decode electronic texts written by a collective of distributed writers. ...
W5063
04.09.2012
TheStore - Tine Wilde
WWW
TheStore: The Construct of a Life Package. Proposal for Arhus Kunstbygning 2011. The exhibition space is piled with boxes, containing (fragments of) works of art, gathered around a wooden framework. The visitor is invited to fill up the framework with ...
TheStore: The Construct of a Life Package. Proposal for Arhus Kunstbygning 2011. The exhibition space is piled with boxes, containing (fragments of) works of art, gathered around a wooden framework. The visitor is invited to fill up the framework with ...
W10499
01.05.2014
White Point - Meeting Point - Esther Shalev-Gerz
WWW
Oslo, Norway, 2004 Permanent Installation In 2004 Esther Shalev-Gerz conceived White Point – Meeting Point as her invited proposal to the juried competition for a public artwork for Oslo’s new Centre for Studies of the Holocaust and Religious Mi ...
Oslo, Norway, 2004 Permanent Installation In 2004 Esther Shalev-Gerz conceived White Point – Meeting Point as her invited proposal to the juried competition for a public artwork for Oslo’s new Centre for Studies of the Holocaust and Religious Mi ...
W3907
20.05.2011
Alan Yates
WWW
As Contemporary art exhibitions develop towards a multiplicity of practises and genres, many are being used for urban regeneration and environmental projects. In this new landscape I wish to lead on initiatives to re-shape the urban landscape to incorpora ...
As Contemporary art exhibitions develop towards a multiplicity of practises and genres, many are being used for urban regeneration and environmental projects. In this new landscape I wish to lead on initiatives to re-shape the urban landscape to incorpora ...
W3765
18.05.2011
Nonlinear - Thomas Wulffen
WWW
'Nonlinear' was an exhibition project, that incorporates cultural expression without any borders, besides the main topic of 'Nonlinear': art as an epistemology besides the science. see also:http://www.catrack.de/nonlinear/ ...
'Nonlinear' was an exhibition project, that incorporates cultural expression without any borders, besides the main topic of 'Nonlinear': art as an epistemology besides the science. see also:http://www.catrack.de/nonlinear/ ...
W3675
15.05.2011
OmniPhantasmic* - Neil Craver
WWW
OmniPhantasmic* *Omni-             1. A combining form denoting all, every, everywhere; as in omnipotent, all-powerful; omnipresent; omnivorous.  *Phantasmic-          1. Something apparently s ...
OmniPhantasmic* *Omni-             1. A combining form denoting all, every, everywhere; as in omnipotent, all-powerful; omnipresent; omnivorous.  *Phantasmic-          1. Something apparently s ...
W3926
20.05.2011
Denkzeichen Rosa Luxemburg - Oliver Ressler
WWW
My design for the competition “Denkzeichen Rosa Luxemburg” (Memory Marker Rosa Luxemburg; Berlin 2003) drew upon the Revolution Monument by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, which was commissioned in 1926 by the German Communist Party as the central memorial ...
My design for the competition “Denkzeichen Rosa Luxemburg” (Memory Marker Rosa Luxemburg; Berlin 2003) drew upon the Revolution Monument by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, which was commissioned in 1926 by the German Communist Party as the central memorial ...
W4699
26.05.2011
I never said I was deep - Marcela Torres
WWW
“I never said I was deep” is the name of a project that deals with notions such as How can we retell History? And how can we manage to live with the official facts in History and ap-ply them to our everyday life and our own notions of them. Some of ...
“I never said I was deep” is the name of a project that deals with notions such as How can we retell History? And how can we manage to live with the official facts in History and ap-ply them to our everyday life and our own notions of them. Some of ...
W4293
24.05.2011
BATIBURRILLO(S) - BATIBURRILLOS
WWW
BATIBURRILLO(S) According to the Dictionary of the Royal Academy of Spanish Language (RAE) ‘Batiburrillo(s)’ means: 1. m. Mezcla de cosas, especialmente de guisados, que no dicen bien unas con otras. 1. m. Mixture of things, especially stews, t ...
BATIBURRILLO(S) According to the Dictionary of the Royal Academy of Spanish Language (RAE) ‘Batiburrillo(s)’ means: 1. m. Mezcla de cosas, especialmente de guisados, que no dicen bien unas con otras. 1. m. Mixture of things, especially stews, t ...
W10709
05.09.2014
Terminator – Final proposal to the Jerwood Foundation 2008 - Jonathan Parsons
WWW
This proposal was made following the Foundation’s invitation to produce this work. Unfortunately the project was eventually halted due to a lack of funds. Introduction Making Terminator into a substantial, powerful artwork necessitates a development ...
This proposal was made following the Foundation’s invitation to produce this work. Unfortunately the project was eventually halted due to a lack of funds. Introduction Making Terminator into a substantial, powerful artwork necessitates a development ...
W3689
16.05.2011
Mike Mosher
WWW
Painting community murals in early 1980s San Francisco, California [see "Artist!" on Bad Subjects website], I made many sketches and proposals, like the "Children's Checkerboard". After 1984, I began to link imagery in paintings with symbols & schematics ...
Painting community murals in early 1980s San Francisco, California [see "Artist!" on Bad Subjects website], I made many sketches and proposals, like the "Children's Checkerboard". After 1984, I began to link imagery in paintings with symbols & schematics ...
W4855
08.08.2012
A kiss on Leyli's Navel - Neda Tavallaee
WWW
This is a work that emphasizes on telling the life story of an Iranian woman through the use of the Chador,which is a traditional islamic covering. Proposal Title:A kiss on Leyli's navel.(The birth,life and death of an Iranian woman) I would like to e ...
This is a work that emphasizes on telling the life story of an Iranian woman through the use of the Chador,which is a traditional islamic covering. Proposal Title:A kiss on Leyli's navel.(The birth,life and death of an Iranian woman) I would like to e ...
W4639
25.05.2011
Steve Kado
WWW
In March 2007 I was the artist in residence at the Department of Safety in Anacortes, WA, USA. Anacortes is a really small town. Partially out of frustration with me, my big city ways & my de-skilled & "post-conceptual" approach to the art task OLIVER ORI ...
In March 2007 I was the artist in residence at the Department of Safety in Anacortes, WA, USA. Anacortes is a really small town. Partially out of frustration with me, my big city ways & my de-skilled & "post-conceptual" approach to the art task OLIVER ORI ...
W4616
25.05.2011
Unrealized project no. 09: Further Development or To Be in an Endless State of Flux - Ruben Aubrecht
WWW
Unrealized project no. 09: Further Development or To Be in an Endless State of Flux The work takes up the incessant developments in social, political and scientific matters and transfers this idea of a never-ending process allegorically onto buildings ...
Unrealized project no. 09: Further Development or To Be in an Endless State of Flux The work takes up the incessant developments in social, political and scientific matters and transfers this idea of a never-ending process allegorically onto buildings ...
W3534
11.05.2011
Dah Di-dah-dah Dah-dah-dah, Di-dah-di-dit Dah-dah-dah Di-di-di-dah Dit Di-dah-dit Di-di-dit - Stephan Apicella-Hitchcock
WWW
Dah Di-dah-dah Dah-dah-dah, Di-dah-di-dit Dah-dah-dah Di-di-di-dah Dit Di-dah-dit Di-di-dit, 1985 (approx.) – 2011, h 20 cm x w 13 cm (h 8” x w 5”), 82 page pocket book, black and white text pages printed on 60-pound (90g/m2) cream-colored paper, 4- ...
Dah Di-dah-dah Dah-dah-dah, Di-dah-di-dit Dah-dah-dah Di-di-di-dah Dit Di-dah-dit Di-di-dit, 1985 (approx.) – 2011, h 20 cm x w 13 cm (h 8” x w 5”), 82 page pocket book, black and white text pages printed on 60-pound (90g/m2) cream-colored paper, 4- ...
W3982
21.05.2011
Kay Malek
WWW
This is a singular state of a project that will never be finished. ...
This is a singular state of a project that will never be finished. ...
W4340
24.05.2011
Violin making; the neck or ‘chiver’ of the saxophone made of porcelain; will ceramic sound different? - Cristina Cambiganu
WWW
Violin making; the neck or ‘chiver’ of the saxophone made of porcelain; will ceramic sound different? The idea, which has been in my drawer of dreams for over 10 years, intend to insert a graft on the saxophone. Precisely, the project intended to r ...
Violin making; the neck or ‘chiver’ of the saxophone made of porcelain; will ceramic sound different? The idea, which has been in my drawer of dreams for over 10 years, intend to insert a graft on the saxophone. Precisely, the project intended to r ...
W3650
15.05.2011
Justyn Zolli
WWW
These are two unrealized designs are for large stained glass windows. The designs is variable in scale, and the windows would make use of specialized glass such as lenses, roundel disks, and mouth-blown antique glass. This photo is derived from a maquette ...
These are two unrealized designs are for large stained glass windows. The designs is variable in scale, and the windows would make use of specialized glass such as lenses, roundel disks, and mouth-blown antique glass. This photo is derived from a maquette ...
W4903
13.08.2012
Round Table - Raoul Marek
WWW
The “freedom and democracy monument” is designed in the shape of an oversized transparent round table: People make use of the elements of that round table by their presence and help bring life into it.The round table is the symbol of the democratic id ...
The “freedom and democracy monument” is designed in the shape of an oversized transparent round table: People make use of the elements of that round table by their presence and help bring life into it.The round table is the symbol of the democratic id ...
W4364
25.05.2011
AUTOPOIETIC AMALGAMATE  - Brandon Walls Olsen
WWW
AUTOPOIETIC AMALGAMATE (ALL OF THE “ART” DISTILLED INTO A FORM-FUL PILE AND EMPTIED ITSELF OF EXCESS, FINALLY): [Self-Portrait as Utility (Blades); EVERYTHING-NOTHING: Everything (The Big Oil [Low Light]), Nothing (Faux-Earth [High Light]), Primary an ...
AUTOPOIETIC AMALGAMATE (ALL OF THE “ART” DISTILLED INTO A FORM-FUL PILE AND EMPTIED ITSELF OF EXCESS, FINALLY): [Self-Portrait as Utility (Blades); EVERYTHING-NOTHING: Everything (The Big Oil [Low Light]), Nothing (Faux-Earth [High Light]), Primary an ...
W4648
25.05.2011
NATURE CAN ALL  - Urssa Severa
WWW
NATURE CAN ALL A Land art project by Urssa Severa A land art project that aims to interrogate Nature as a representative of God´s masterpiece about its own contradictions. Intervention #1 A symbolist or abstract approach will be proposed, where two phr ...
NATURE CAN ALL A Land art project by Urssa Severa A land art project that aims to interrogate Nature as a representative of God´s masterpiece about its own contradictions. Intervention #1 A symbolist or abstract approach will be proposed, where two phr ...