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.

Tower Cranes, Paris  - Tadashi Kawamata

CIVITAS Stadtpostkarten - Lothar Baumgarten

PROPOSAL FOR SEATTLE ARTS COMMISSION, IN PUBLIC - Chris Burden

Unrealized Projects - Jonas Meckas

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

Engel-Detektor - Jakob Gautel & Jason Karaïndros

PROPOSALl + VOORSTEL - Guillame Bijl

Entwurf für einen erneuerten Malkasten 1992 - 1994 - Ulrike Holthöfer

Aus: Katalog 'Kunst bleibt Kunst' - Hans Peter Feldman

Social Resource Project For the Munich Olympics - Stephen Willats

Agency of Unrealised Projects
Logo by Liam Gillick
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Date
Title
Source
Description
Tags
W4906
13.08.2012
US Dollar Incense - Christian Burnoski
WWW
Unrealized project for AUP archive submission: US Dollar Incense, 2010 Christian Burnoski Description The concept is to make incense-sticks from US dollars, which would cost as much as the number of bills used in making the incense, so that th ...
Unrealized project for AUP archive submission: US Dollar Incense, 2010 Christian Burnoski Description The concept is to make incense-sticks from US dollars, which would cost as much as the number of bills used in making the incense, so that th ...
W3514
11.05.2011
“Future Show”  - Alexandra Hopf
WWW
“Future Show” is an ongoing investigation into objects of art that have vanished from the field of vision.  These objects were once housed within the original Future Show in the New York's Museum of Non-Objective Art from November to December of 1 ...
“Future Show” is an ongoing investigation into objects of art that have vanished from the field of vision.  These objects were once housed within the original Future Show in the New York's Museum of Non-Objective Art from November to December of 1 ...
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 ...
W3624
14.05.2011
Steve Rosenthal
WWW
Unrealized project from March 2008. The proposal was made to Acantia Health and Beauty Ltd, seeking sponsorship in the form of 6000 bars of Coal Tar Soap to realize the construction of a 'Yellow Brick Road' for my final degree show. Please see text (i ...
Unrealized project from March 2008. The proposal was made to Acantia Health and Beauty Ltd, seeking sponsorship in the form of 6000 bars of Coal Tar Soap to realize the construction of a 'Yellow Brick Road' for my final degree show. Please see text (i ...
W4008
22.05.2011
YOU WILL BE FAMOUS - Alessandro Rolandi
WWW
Interactive-Installation 1) At the height of at least 5th or 6th floor of a public art space (museum or foundation) it will be installed a door opening on the void. The door must be red and in wood, liek the door leading to a room in a house. Actuall ...
Interactive-Installation 1) At the height of at least 5th or 6th floor of a public art space (museum or foundation) it will be installed a door opening on the void. The door must be red and in wood, liek the door leading to a room in a house. Actuall ...
W4861
09.08.2012
Aviation Memories - Alexander Hahn
WWW
Aviation Memories. Response to an 1986 open call for an installation proposal by Real Art Ways in Hartford, CT. Instead of the usual sketches, I submitted a simulation of the proposed project on video tape using the Macintosh program Mac Draw and the Fair ...
Aviation Memories. Response to an 1986 open call for an installation proposal by Real Art Ways in Hartford, CT. Instead of the usual sketches, I submitted a simulation of the proposed project on video tape using the Macintosh program Mac Draw and the Fair ...
W5403
20.10.2012
L’ARTISTA HA L’ORO IN BOCCA - Isabella Pers
WWW
Isabella Pers L’ARTISTA HA L’ORO IN BOCCA unrealized project For the title I’m referring to the famous phrase 'All Work and No Play Makes Jack a Dull Boy' that appeares in the film The Shining (Kubrick, 1980). The book that Jack was writing co ...
Isabella Pers L’ARTISTA HA L’ORO IN BOCCA unrealized project For the title I’m referring to the famous phrase 'All Work and No Play Makes Jack a Dull Boy' that appeares in the film The Shining (Kubrick, 1980). The book that Jack was writing co ...
W10336
18.04.2014
VISION for a new PUBLIC SCHOOL - Stijn Ank
WWW
The project space is a public secondary school in a suburban area north-west of Brussels. It's an academy of visual arts, but to many pupils, most of whom have had a troublesome school career, the school is a refuge where they can retrieve their inquisiti ...
The project space is a public secondary school in a suburban area north-west of Brussels. It's an academy of visual arts, but to many pupils, most of whom have had a troublesome school career, the school is a refuge where they can retrieve their inquisiti ...
W4243
24.05.2011
Acts of appearance – ‘side cabinets at Holden Gallery’ - Ana Luisa Cruz
WWW
Acts of appearance – ‘side cabinets at Holden Gallery’ http://sidecabinetsatholdengallery.blogspot.com/ I have ‘virtually’ placed myself in an existing gallery for a couple of weeks, The Holden Gallery, Manchester, using a virtual positioni ...
Acts of appearance – ‘side cabinets at Holden Gallery’ http://sidecabinetsatholdengallery.blogspot.com/ I have ‘virtually’ placed myself in an existing gallery for a couple of weeks, The Holden Gallery, Manchester, using a virtual positioni ...
W4775
31.05.2011
El fracaso de Xochiquetzal - ana gallardo
WWW
El fracaso de Xochiquetzal Ensayo reflexionar sobre la vejez y su condición ante la cercanía de la muerte en el mundo contemporáneo. En nuestra cultura hay una imagen desfavorable del envejecimiento, esta etapa despierta sentimientos encontrados, ...
El fracaso de Xochiquetzal Ensayo reflexionar sobre la vejez y su condición ante la cercanía de la muerte en el mundo contemporáneo. En nuestra cultura hay una imagen desfavorable del envejecimiento, esta etapa despierta sentimientos encontrados, ...
U9892
16.02.1997
Fax Transmission - Raymond Pettibone and Jason Rhoades
Unbuilt Roads
Fax to: HANS-ULRICH OBRIST From Jason Rhoades Greeting HAN-ULRICH Well the project sounded great but I didn't have any unfulfilled projects that I sad appropriate for the project, but just last sunday I was at the race track with raymon pettibone ...
Fax to: HANS-ULRICH OBRIST From Jason Rhoades Greeting HAN-ULRICH Well the project sounded great but I didn't have any unfulfilled projects that I sad appropriate for the project, but just last sunday I was at the race track with raymon pettibone ...
W5457
20.10.2012
BUILDING DRAWING V: “LOST” (A Porcelain Landscape Room) - Ann Daly
WWW
Ann Daly adaly@aya.yale.edu BUILDING DRAWING V: “LOST” (A Porcelain Landscape Room) Part of a larger project "Looking for the Labyrinth: Re-collecting Versailles". Cast white porcelain, sculptural walls, total size approximately 16 feet x 12 ...
Ann Daly adaly@aya.yale.edu BUILDING DRAWING V: “LOST” (A Porcelain Landscape Room) Part of a larger project "Looking for the Labyrinth: Re-collecting Versailles". Cast white porcelain, sculptural walls, total size approximately 16 feet x 12 ...
W4910
14.08.2012
General Valeriano Weyler - Daniela Ortiz in collaboration with Xose Quiroga
WWW
GENERAL VALERIANO WEYLER by Daniela Ortiz & Xose Quiroga The Spanish nation constantly recognises as national pride personalities as Christopher Columbus, Francisco Pizarro, Diego de Almagro or Hernan Cortés; diverse streets, plazas and monuments re ...
GENERAL VALERIANO WEYLER by Daniela Ortiz & Xose Quiroga The Spanish nation constantly recognises as national pride personalities as Christopher Columbus, Francisco Pizarro, Diego de Almagro or Hernan Cortés; diverse streets, plazas and monuments re ...
W3567
12.05.2011
Connecting the Dots 2002  - Julianna Balogh
WWW
Concept: Why we cannot get along? I am terribly disturbed by the fact that war is still in our vocabulary at the beginning of the 21st century. Medium: High polished golden color bronze, and unpol We are all connected from the North pole to the Sout ...
Concept: Why we cannot get along? I am terribly disturbed by the fact that war is still in our vocabulary at the beginning of the 21st century. Medium: High polished golden color bronze, and unpol We are all connected from the North pole to the Sout ...
W10923
20.06.2015
T.A. 27 Sydney 2000 - Olympia Golden Track - Johannes Angerbauer-Goldhoff
WWW
1997 erfolgte nach einer längeren Planungs- und Verhandlungsphase die Unterzeichung des Finanzierungs- und Realisierung Vertrags für ein Soziales Kunstgroßprojekt zur Eröffnung der Olympischen Spiele in Sydney 2000. Die gesamte Laufbahn des Olympische ...
1997 erfolgte nach einer längeren Planungs- und Verhandlungsphase die Unterzeichung des Finanzierungs- und Realisierung Vertrags für ein Soziales Kunstgroßprojekt zur Eröffnung der Olympischen Spiele in Sydney 2000. Die gesamte Laufbahn des Olympische ...
W3813
19.05.2011
Bruce Gray
WWW
This is a wood sphere that I drilled into and mounted lots of high powered rare earth magnets. They are all facing the magnetic polarity in the same direction. There was also a large half sphere that I attached magnets with the polarity opposing the sph ...
This is a wood sphere that I drilled into and mounted lots of high powered rare earth magnets. They are all facing the magnetic polarity in the same direction. There was also a large half sphere that I attached magnets with the polarity opposing the sph ...
W3861
19.05.2011
Social Housing Concept - PRINZGAU/podgorschek
WWW
Um das Jahr 2000 gab es in Wien die Diskussion wieweit man den Gemeindebau für MigrantInnen öffnen soll. Mit einem Schlag wurde das Wiener Herz in tiefster Seele getroffen und ein heftiges Für und Wider entbrannte. Im Zuge der Geschehnisse legte ...
Um das Jahr 2000 gab es in Wien die Diskussion wieweit man den Gemeindebau für MigrantInnen öffnen soll. Mit einem Schlag wurde das Wiener Herz in tiefster Seele getroffen und ein heftiges Für und Wider entbrannte. Im Zuge der Geschehnisse legte ...
W4488
25.05.2011
Sketch railway viaduct - Katrin Korfmann
WWW
Sketch railway viaduct – Tiel, the Netherlands, 2009 The viaduct is located at the entrance of the city of Tiel. One passes it after leaving the highway and before entering the city. The viaduct shows a various mix of architecture with different styles ...
Sketch railway viaduct – Tiel, the Netherlands, 2009 The viaduct is located at the entrance of the city of Tiel. One passes it after leaving the highway and before entering the city. The viaduct shows a various mix of architecture with different styles ...
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 ...
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 ...
W4382
25.05.2011
Vertebrae Train Project Tra Bouscaren - Tra Bouscaren
WWW
Vertebrae Train Project Tra Bouscaren The "VertebraeTrain Project" is a physical and symbolic exploration of extinction and a meditation on the transmutation of energy from one form into another. Bouscaren presents Berlin's U5 underground train a ...
Vertebrae Train Project Tra Bouscaren The "VertebraeTrain Project" is a physical and symbolic exploration of extinction and a meditation on the transmutation of energy from one form into another. Bouscaren presents Berlin's U5 underground train a ...
W4489
25.05.2011
Unrealized Project  - Na'ama Zussman
WWW
Unrealized Project 1 God, memory, if you didn’t exist, I would have to create you. Na’ama Zussman This work offers an Ongoing Meeting Between Reality and Memory, onto anyone can reflects and projects himself, as his dimensions of presentation – pa ...
Unrealized Project 1 God, memory, if you didn’t exist, I would have to create you. Na’ama Zussman This work offers an Ongoing Meeting Between Reality and Memory, onto anyone can reflects and projects himself, as his dimensions of presentation – pa ...
W4668
25.05.2011
The Hope Tree of New Fribourg - MomenTech
WWW
"The Hope Tree of New Fribourg" ("Árvore Esperança de Nova Friburgo") Commemorates the Relationship Between the Sister Cities of Fribourg, Switzerland, sister city, Nova Friburgo, Brazil "Hope is the last to die." -- Portuguese proverb NEW YORK, ...
"The Hope Tree of New Fribourg" ("Árvore Esperança de Nova Friburgo") Commemorates the Relationship Between the Sister Cities of Fribourg, Switzerland, sister city, Nova Friburgo, Brazil "Hope is the last to die." -- Portuguese proverb NEW YORK, ...
W3749
18.05.2011
THE FRIEZE ART FAIR! - Matthew Shannon
WWW
This project, a comic book, was one of the 5 finalists for the 2011 Frieze Art Fair EMDASH award. Written Treatment. The proposed work is an amplification of the fair and its potential meanings across different levels of reality. The epileptic segue o ...
This project, a comic book, was one of the 5 finalists for the 2011 Frieze Art Fair EMDASH award. Written Treatment. The proposed work is an amplification of the fair and its potential meanings across different levels of reality. The epileptic segue o ...
W4471
25.05.2011
Marco Montiel-Soto
WWW
Berlín no está en la orilla del mar, esta enredada entre los canales del río Spree y de numerosos lagos a los alrededores, una superficie en movimiento perfecta para un nuevo proyecto de vivienda, un modelo de planificación urbana que sirve para los r ...
Berlín no está en la orilla del mar, esta enredada entre los canales del río Spree y de numerosos lagos a los alrededores, una superficie en movimiento perfecta para un nuevo proyecto de vivienda, un modelo de planificación urbana que sirve para los r ...
W5099
13.09.2012
Seal of Salomon - Copa & Sordes
WWW
another idea for an ornament in public space See PDF ...
another idea for an ornament in public space See PDF ...