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.

Aguapracasa - Gabriel Orozco

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

Catwalk - Sylive Fleury

Douglas Gordon - 5 year drive-by; proposal for a public artwork.

Post Photographic apparatus - Steven Pippin

<A Public Misery Message> - Critical Art Ensemble

My House - Uri Tzaig

City Hall Tower Night Ilumination - Krysztof Wodiczko

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

Right-of-Privacy Release - Tony Oursler

Agency of Unrealised Projects
Logo by Liam Gillick
#
Date
Title
Source
Description
Tags
W5055
03.09.2012
School in Berriozar - Taller Basico de Arquitectura [TBA]
WWW
School in Berriozar (2008) The building offers a unified image according to its public condition. This image is based on the sum of modular elements that respond to the program. The proposal provides a reference image inside Berriozar's residential are ...
School in Berriozar (2008) The building offers a unified image according to its public condition. This image is based on the sum of modular elements that respond to the program. The proposal provides a reference image inside Berriozar's residential are ...
W4228
24.05.2011
Sacred Sister - Bettina WitteVeen
WWW
Sacred Sister by Bettina WitteVeen GLOSSARY AMAZONS: Society of women warriors whose kingdom was believed to be to the north of the civilized world and who tolerated men only as servants or as father of female children. They cut off one breast i ...
Sacred Sister by Bettina WitteVeen GLOSSARY AMAZONS: Society of women warriors whose kingdom was believed to be to the north of the civilized world and who tolerated men only as servants or as father of female children. They cut off one breast i ...
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 ...
U9533
01.01.1992
AUSSICHTSTURM, HOLZHAUS (WOHNHAUS), SCHWIMMBECKEN, FREIE FAHRT - Maria Eichhorn
Unbuilt Roads
AUSSICHTSTURM Auf der höchsten Erhebung einer Landschaft einen 33 Meter hohen Aussichtsturm in einer offenen Konstruktion (Stahlskelettbauweise) bauen. Mit standigen Offnungszeiten. HOLZHAUS (WOHNHAUS) In einer Gegend mit wenigen oder keinen Hau ...
AUSSICHTSTURM Auf der höchsten Erhebung einer Landschaft einen 33 Meter hohen Aussichtsturm in einer offenen Konstruktion (Stahlskelettbauweise) bauen. Mit standigen Offnungszeiten. HOLZHAUS (WOHNHAUS) In einer Gegend mit wenigen oder keinen Hau ...
W5283
15.10.2012
FORTIFICATION PROJECT PROPOSAL FOR GERMAN PAVILION - Hakan Topal
WWW
A FORTIFICATION PROJECT PROPOSAL FOR GERMAN PAVILION, VENICE by Hakan Topal, 2009 In the beginning of February of 2009, I proposed a project to Liam Gillick to be realized at the periphery of the German Pavilion in Venice's Giardini. I had no intention to ...
A FORTIFICATION PROJECT PROPOSAL FOR GERMAN PAVILION, VENICE by Hakan Topal, 2009 In the beginning of February of 2009, I proposed a project to Liam Gillick to be realized at the periphery of the German Pavilion in Venice's Giardini. I had no intention to ...
W4712
26.05.2011
LISTE ROUGE [MEMORIAL FOR THE DISAPPEARED]  - spmb [Eduardo Aquino & Karen Shanski]
WWW
LISTE ROUGE [MEMORIAL FOR THE DISAPPEARED] is a proposal by spmb for the City of Geneva’s 2011 Neons Competition. Starting from the observation that the Geneva Ecological Region has lost seven flower species to urban development in the past decades, we ...
LISTE ROUGE [MEMORIAL FOR THE DISAPPEARED] is a proposal by spmb for the City of Geneva’s 2011 Neons Competition. Starting from the observation that the Geneva Ecological Region has lost seven flower species to urban development in the past decades, we ...
D10809
01.01.2001
Center of Cosmic Energy - Ilya and Emilia Kabakov
DAAD
Proposal, Essen, Kolkerei 2001 -see attached pdfs- ...
Proposal, Essen, Kolkerei 2001 -see attached pdfs- ...
W4282
24.05.2011
USS PALIN - Kevin Sampson
WWW
Book of Ezekiel (12: 1-2) " ... Oh mortals, thou dwellest among the rebellious breed. They have eyes to see but see not; they have ears to hear, but hear not..." I have been constructing vessels for several years. After thinking about the current s ...
Book of Ezekiel (12: 1-2) " ... Oh mortals, thou dwellest among the rebellious breed. They have eyes to see but see not; they have ears to hear, but hear not..." I have been constructing vessels for several years. After thinking about the current s ...
W4697
26.05.2011
The Bastard Academy - Jon Rubin
WWW
The Bastard Academy public project for Stanford University and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (unrealized) A think tank about a think tank. The Bastard Academy is a site and situation for research about Stanford University's right-wing think ...
The Bastard Academy public project for Stanford University and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (unrealized) A think tank about a think tank. The Bastard Academy is a site and situation for research about Stanford University's right-wing think ...
W3845
19.05.2011
Interactive Playground - GH Hovagimyan
WWW
Abstract The interactive playground project consists of three works. 1. An interactive Seesaw 2. A jump rope machine 3. An interactive spiral slide The interactive seesaw has recently been completed as part of an LMCC residency at Governor’s ...
Abstract The interactive playground project consists of three works. 1. An interactive Seesaw 2. A jump rope machine 3. An interactive spiral slide The interactive seesaw has recently been completed as part of an LMCC residency at Governor’s ...
W5171
26.09.2012
Park a person - Heidi Stokes
WWW
Park a person traces an individual’s life and their highs and lows. The piece offers an unusual treatment. Every individual troubled, can go to a space were you can park yourself, as a place for refuge or time out. Based on a true documented account. ...
Park a person traces an individual’s life and their highs and lows. The piece offers an unusual treatment. Every individual troubled, can go to a space were you can park yourself, as a place for refuge or time out. Based on a true documented account. ...
W4530
25.05.2011
Star Museum in Sharjah by A12 - A12 Star Museum in Sharjah
WWW
Star Museum in Sharjah by A12 Our proposal for Sharjah Art Foundation Production Programme was to build a temporary pavilion to host the first stage of the Star Museum, a travelling museum dedicated to the stars. The stars in this museum are not inten ...
Star Museum in Sharjah by A12 Our proposal for Sharjah Art Foundation Production Programme was to build a temporary pavilion to host the first stage of the Star Museum, a travelling museum dedicated to the stars. The stars in this museum are not inten ...
W5016
30.08.2012
TOTEM WAR - WHEN ARCHITECTURE BECOMES RIVAL CLANS’ BATTLEFIELD - Martial MARQUET
WWW
TOTEM WAR - WHEN ARCHITECTURE BECOMES RIVAL CLANS’ BATTLEFIELD autors : Louisa Gouesnard, Martial Marquet, Nicolas Polaert. date : Jan 2011 Place : Sliznevo, RUSSIA. Dimensions : variables Materials : Wood/Steel What is happening in Sliznevo ? ...
TOTEM WAR - WHEN ARCHITECTURE BECOMES RIVAL CLANS’ BATTLEFIELD autors : Louisa Gouesnard, Martial Marquet, Nicolas Polaert. date : Jan 2011 Place : Sliznevo, RUSSIA. Dimensions : variables Materials : Wood/Steel What is happening in Sliznevo ? ...
W4662
25.05.2011
The Wardenclyffe Gift  - Craig Leonard
WWW
The Wardenclyffe Gift Craig Leonard In November 2009, the bronze plaque donated by the Yugoslavian Government on July 10, 1976 for the commemoration of the Wardenclyffe communication tower, Nikola Tesla's last remaining laboratory building, was sto ...
The Wardenclyffe Gift Craig Leonard In November 2009, the bronze plaque donated by the Yugoslavian Government on July 10, 1976 for the commemoration of the Wardenclyffe communication tower, Nikola Tesla's last remaining laboratory building, was sto ...
W3571
12.05.2011
Guardian Givers - Urban Belina
WWW
The invisible has the same importance as the visible, because the meaning is not in the material, it is in the change. The artwork dissolves its matter and its concept; when revealed it gradually diminishes over a limited time period; leaving behind only ...
The invisible has the same importance as the visible, because the meaning is not in the material, it is in the change. The artwork dissolves its matter and its concept; when revealed it gradually diminishes over a limited time period; leaving behind only ...
W3584
13.05.2011
Proposal to an open call for the 2011 Emdash Award - Boris Dornbusch
WWW
The following project was a proposal to an open call for the 2011 Emdash Award. However, it is an idea I have developed in response to any Art Fair: A smaller-scale replica of the Frieze's exhibition tent is pitched in the exhibition pavilion. ...
The following project was a proposal to an open call for the 2011 Emdash Award. However, it is an idea I have developed in response to any Art Fair: A smaller-scale replica of the Frieze's exhibition tent is pitched in the exhibition pavilion. ...
W5217
06.10.2012
Virtual Papyrus - Anna Maria Bonanese
WWW
Virtual Papyrus is an interactive website which allows users to create a message or drawing in response to one of four topics: Utopia, The Environment, Addictions, and Work. These categories were chosen for their relation to the broader theme of "collecti ...
Virtual Papyrus is an interactive website which allows users to create a message or drawing in response to one of four topics: Utopia, The Environment, Addictions, and Work. These categories were chosen for their relation to the broader theme of "collecti ...
U9988
01.10.1987
City Hall Tower Night Ilumination - Krysztof Wodiczko
Unbuilt Roads
"In the name of "progress" our official culture is striving to force the new media to do the work of the old." -Marshall McLuhan "For the city of today does speak to us, but it is also at certain points and in certain orders remarkably silent. There a ...
"In the name of "progress" our official culture is striving to force the new media to do the work of the old." -Marshall McLuhan "For the city of today does speak to us, but it is also at certain points and in certain orders remarkably silent. There a ...
W3983
21.05.2011
The Panajachel Biennial’s Story: A Community Still to Come - Panajachel Biennial
WWW
The Panajachel Biennial was an initiative by a group of young independent curators (Karl Escher, Abbas Ibn Salah al Din, Guillermo Santamarina, Joao Castro da Silva y Takouhi Abesalom) who convened in Panajachel in 2009. The result of this meeting was a p ...
The Panajachel Biennial was an initiative by a group of young independent curators (Karl Escher, Abbas Ibn Salah al Din, Guillermo Santamarina, Joao Castro da Silva y Takouhi Abesalom) who convened in Panajachel in 2009. The result of this meeting was a p ...
W4217
24.05.2011
24 hours Suicide  - Costa Vece
WWW
24 hours Suicide von Costa Vece für Art Unlimited Basel 2003 24 hours Suicide: Das Wort Suicide (Selbstmord) wird temporär auf das grösste Gebäude der Schweiz, den Messeturm in Basel, während der Art Basel ‘03 angebracht. Der Mes ...
24 hours Suicide von Costa Vece für Art Unlimited Basel 2003 24 hours Suicide: Das Wort Suicide (Selbstmord) wird temporär auf das grösste Gebäude der Schweiz, den Messeturm in Basel, während der Art Basel ‘03 angebracht. Der Mes ...
W5306
17.10.2012
cat.rais - Jake Morton
WWW
AUP : Agency for un-realised projects : submission : 1.0 The A.U.P. - Agency for un-realised projects - open call invitation states: 1.1 “Though the state of being unrealized implies the potential for realization, not all projects are intended to ...
AUP : Agency for un-realised projects : submission : 1.0 The A.U.P. - Agency for un-realised projects - open call invitation states: 1.1 “Though the state of being unrealized implies the potential for realization, not all projects are intended to ...
W5252
11.10.2012
Scott Rogers
WWW
While I realize that Walter De Maria's Earth Room in New York is continuously groomed and manicured to prevent any trace of change, I wish / fantasize that it could be planted (if only for a very brief growing season). I don't think of this as iconoclasti ...
While I realize that Walter De Maria's Earth Room in New York is continuously groomed and manicured to prevent any trace of change, I wish / fantasize that it could be planted (if only for a very brief growing season). I don't think of this as iconoclasti ...
W5410
20.10.2012
Things For An Urban Neighbourhood Cleansing (After Kinmont) - Ann Fuata
WWW
Things For An Urban Neighbourhood Cleansing (After Kinmont) is a series of 11 photographs of the artist holding a collection of domestic objects for an urban cleansing. These photographs were meant to become a unified image using a lenticular printing... ...
Things For An Urban Neighbourhood Cleansing (After Kinmont) is a series of 11 photographs of the artist holding a collection of domestic objects for an urban cleansing. These photographs were meant to become a unified image using a lenticular printing... ...
W4436
25.05.2011
Lucy Hawthorne
WWW
I imagined the toothpick sculpture project as a lighthearted, easy to produce artwork - a method of shoehorning myself out of my artmaking slumber. 3000 toothpicks and 4 months later and I've barely made a dent. How does this object swallow so many toothp ...
I imagined the toothpick sculpture project as a lighthearted, easy to produce artwork - a method of shoehorning myself out of my artmaking slumber. 3000 toothpicks and 4 months later and I've barely made a dent. How does this object swallow so many toothp ...
W4089
23.05.2011
Subba Ghosh
WWW
This project consists of 10 to 12 large size (Approx size 26ft length and 6 feet wide ) paintings on tarpaulin in the shape of banners mainly to be displayed in large public areas. Submitted work 26 feet x 6 feet. Acrylic on tarpaulin. Title: Kishanlal ...
This project consists of 10 to 12 large size (Approx size 26ft length and 6 feet wide ) paintings on tarpaulin in the shape of banners mainly to be displayed in large public areas. Submitted work 26 feet x 6 feet. Acrylic on tarpaulin. Title: Kishanlal ...
W4385
25.05.2011
un... - Bettina Bruder
WWW
un... by Bettina Bruder un... is an unrealized project from a series of experiments on the topic of ‘nothing’. un... got never realized until the call for submission of unrealized projects gave space to it. un... and ‘nothing’ are part of my u ...
un... by Bettina Bruder un... is an unrealized project from a series of experiments on the topic of ‘nothing’. un... got never realized until the call for submission of unrealized projects gave space to it. un... and ‘nothing’ are part of my u ...