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.

Visual Poem: Cap I Cua - Joan Brossa

Ceinture - Huang Ping Yong

Eight Days a Week - Joe Scanlan

The World Record - General Idea

Projet pour la Place Saint Léger à Chambery  - Erik Dietman

Attitudine Diplomatica - Hermann Pitz

PROPOSAL FOR SEATTLE ARTS COMMISSION, IN PUBLIC - Chris Burden

119. PROJET DE DESTRUCTION DU MUSEE 1970 - 1971 - Jef Geys

Museum - Katharina Fritsch

Jake and Dinos Chapman's five proposals for an empty plinth situated on central londons trafalgar square - Jake and Dinos Chapman

Agency of Unrealised Projects
Logo by Liam Gillick
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Date
Title
Source
Description
Tags
W5423
20.10.2012
Summerhouse - Tom Hollenback
WWW
Summerhouse ©Tom Hollenback, 2011 (Revised) This proposal is for the construction of a temporary outdoor installation during the winter months at a public park in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Tentatively titled Summerhouse, I envision the work as a small p ...
Summerhouse ©Tom Hollenback, 2011 (Revised) This proposal is for the construction of a temporary outdoor installation during the winter months at a public park in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Tentatively titled Summerhouse, I envision the work as a small p ...
U9293
01.01.1978
The World is a Theater and we each have a role - Louise Bourgeois
Unbuilt Roads
A circular construction in wood, painted sky blue and white. In 3 dimensions. An upside down dome. A small figure stands in the center. (eventually reasons why the work has not be realized) Complicated and too expensive but never discarded. ...
A circular construction in wood, painted sky blue and white. In 3 dimensions. An upside down dome. A small figure stands in the center. (eventually reasons why the work has not be realized) Complicated and too expensive but never discarded. ...
W4042
22.05.2011
PROTEIFORM - Nathalie Chikhi
WWW
Proteiform is an uncompleted work started in May 2010. My first intention was to implant multiples yellow pins in big Styrofoam balls to create a 1:1 human scale installation. At the time, my budget to create this new work was somehow limited. I choose ...
Proteiform is an uncompleted work started in May 2010. My first intention was to implant multiples yellow pins in big Styrofoam balls to create a 1:1 human scale installation. At the time, my budget to create this new work was somehow limited. I choose ...
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 ...
W5070
05.09.2012
Unterirdischer Birkenwald / Subterranean Birch Forest - Römer + Römer
WWW
Unterirdischer Birkenwald / Subterranean Birch Forest Unrealized: Land Art Project Realized: Print of Wallpaper (1.80 m x 150 m) RÖMER + RÖMER, 2005 „Unterirdischer Birkenwald”
 Als Landartprojekt planten RÖMER & RÖMER den Bau eines Deich ...
Unterirdischer Birkenwald / Subterranean Birch Forest Unrealized: Land Art Project Realized: Print of Wallpaper (1.80 m x 150 m) RÖMER + RÖMER, 2005 „Unterirdischer Birkenwald”
 Als Landartprojekt planten RÖMER & RÖMER den Bau eines Deich ...
W4715
26.05.2011
Annan Shehadi
WWW
This project is a way of mapping a home I have never been to from the outside. It is about the outside world not recognizing my identity as a Palestinian, or my people's right to their homeland. In that sense, it is unrealized. 31°53’20.24”N, 35° ...
This project is a way of mapping a home I have never been to from the outside. It is about the outside world not recognizing my identity as a Palestinian, or my people's right to their homeland. In that sense, it is unrealized. 31°53’20.24”N, 35° ...
W3878
19.05.2011
SCISSORGATE - Derek Michael Besant
WWW
SCISSORGATE Client: Banker’s Hall Downtown Tower Entry / Calgary Alberta Canada Date: 2003 Based on the child’s game; Scissors, Paper, Rock, these giant forms create an obstacle course of forms akin to a Japanese Garden. The offset wall where t ...
SCISSORGATE Client: Banker’s Hall Downtown Tower Entry / Calgary Alberta Canada Date: 2003 Based on the child’s game; Scissors, Paper, Rock, these giant forms create an obstacle course of forms akin to a Japanese Garden. The offset wall where t ...
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 ...
W5281
15.10.2012
The Sky Reaching Hammock - Adam Kalinowsk
WWW
2000, Poznan, Poland. Project for kinetic outdoor sculpture. Proposed total dimensions: 2200 x 7000 x 7000 cm. Steel, aircraft cable, wind turbines with reduction gears. Model in 1:8 scale. Propellers are pointed to various directions in relation to ...
2000, Poznan, Poland. Project for kinetic outdoor sculpture. Proposed total dimensions: 2200 x 7000 x 7000 cm. Steel, aircraft cable, wind turbines with reduction gears. Model in 1:8 scale. Propellers are pointed to various directions in relation to ...
W4810
07.08.2012
Emily Windon
WWW
Emily Windon The Proposed Work to be developed: Large platforms for viewing digitally projected images: The work utilizes the construction of large viewing platforms that serve to both uplift and isolate the audience. The platforms are made of timber an ...
Emily Windon The Proposed Work to be developed: Large platforms for viewing digitally projected images: The work utilizes the construction of large viewing platforms that serve to both uplift and isolate the audience. The platforms are made of timber an ...
W3732
18.05.2011
POP GOES THE WEASEL - Anne O'Callaghan & Barbara Sternberg
WWW
The following is a brief synopsis of the proposal, POP GOES THE WEASEL, that we submitted for 2011 Nuit Blanche, Toronto, Ontario Canada. This proposal was rejected due to censorship by the local Business Improvement Association (BIA), see emails below** ...
The following is a brief synopsis of the proposal, POP GOES THE WEASEL, that we submitted for 2011 Nuit Blanche, Toronto, Ontario Canada. This proposal was rejected due to censorship by the local Business Improvement Association (BIA), see emails below** ...
W4891
10.08.2012
Rachael Agnew
WWW
This project questions the structure of the foundations of scientific reality based on the atomic model and contrasts this with the philosophy of phenomenology. The paradox of these two contrasting foundations creates an opening for exploration while also ...
This project questions the structure of the foundations of scientific reality based on the atomic model and contrasts this with the philosophy of phenomenology. The paradox of these two contrasting foundations creates an opening for exploration while also ...
W4964
21.08.2012
Art Van Triest
WWW
no pics jet no youtube jet what I want to do is basically mechanically (physically) recreate a known (digitally modelled) scene from a actionfilm. the scene has a bullet that slowly splashes through a wall or glass or something like that.... ...
no pics jet no youtube jet what I want to do is basically mechanically (physically) recreate a known (digitally modelled) scene from a actionfilm. the scene has a bullet that slowly splashes through a wall or glass or something like that.... ...
W4000
21.05.2011
Freedom Hill (2010) - Edward Salem
WWW
Freedom Hill (2010) At Freedom Hill in Sterling Heights, Michigan, a decommissioned tank, helicopter, cannon, and fighter jet have been permanently installed as monuments to U.S. military strength.  Taking a cue from Meret Oppenheim’s Object - Le DÃ ...
Freedom Hill (2010) At Freedom Hill in Sterling Heights, Michigan, a decommissioned tank, helicopter, cannon, and fighter jet have been permanently installed as monuments to U.S. military strength.  Taking a cue from Meret Oppenheim’s Object - Le DÃ ...
W5021
31.08.2012
Speakers Platform - Dimitris Dokatzis
WWW
SPEAKERS’ PLATFORM Concept of work ‘SPEAKERS’ PLATFORM’ is inspired by the protests that took place in Athens in the summer of 2011 across Syntagma (Constitution) Square. The protesters, known as “disappointed citizens”, in line with t ...
SPEAKERS’ PLATFORM Concept of work ‘SPEAKERS’ PLATFORM’ is inspired by the protests that took place in Athens in the summer of 2011 across Syntagma (Constitution) Square. The protesters, known as “disappointed citizens”, in line with t ...
W4422
25.05.2011
Drew Denny
WWW
After being diagnosed with a deadly brain tumor, I designed this architectural rendering for my brain as a house. I would construct an installation of my Brain House so that I might lead audiences through it as I perform my memories, fantasies, dreams ...
After being diagnosed with a deadly brain tumor, I designed this architectural rendering for my brain as a house. I would construct an installation of my Brain House so that I might lead audiences through it as I perform my memories, fantasies, dreams ...
W3975
21.05.2011
From Cancer to Cosmos - Peter Briggs
WWW
My project forms a link between the subterranean, a rarely explored urban space, and the five principal stars of a particular constellation, Cancer. In a nutshell the idea is to construct an underground network linking five manhole covers, the positions o ...
My project forms a link between the subterranean, a rarely explored urban space, and the five principal stars of a particular constellation, Cancer. In a nutshell the idea is to construct an underground network linking five manhole covers, the positions o ...
W5131
19.09.2012
Gods Acre - Leo Morrissey
WWW
Project: gods acre Each day I walk to work I walk through God’s Acre, a Moravian cemetery. The section of the cemetery I walk through is where the women and men are buried. An important part of the Moravian burial practice is that individuals ar ...
Project: gods acre Each day I walk to work I walk through God’s Acre, a Moravian cemetery. The section of the cemetery I walk through is where the women and men are buried. An important part of the Moravian burial practice is that individuals ar ...
W4828
07.08.2012
Anne Among the Living - Line Kallmayer
WWW
I intended to make a film, Anne Among The Living. I worked on it for a year and a half. We were very advanced in preproduction with many people involved, but the money could not be raised. The funders found it too experimental, too ambitious and risky. ...
I intended to make a film, Anne Among The Living. I worked on it for a year and a half. We were very advanced in preproduction with many people involved, but the money could not be raised. The funders found it too experimental, too ambitious and risky. ...
W3638
14.05.2011
lynn hershman Leeson
WWW
This piece reveals the biological system/internal workings of ballet dancers, particularly pregnant ones, who dance to the rhythm and sounds of their own blood stream and heartbeat. ...
This piece reveals the biological system/internal workings of ballet dancers, particularly pregnant ones, who dance to the rhythm and sounds of their own blood stream and heartbeat. ...
W3849
19.05.2011
The Trace of A Production Site - YU-HANG HUANG
WWW
is a performance based installation, which deals with memory, moving and production. The installation contains my hand-made copies of everyday objects from water-resistant polyethylene foam. ...
is a performance based installation, which deals with memory, moving and production. The installation contains my hand-made copies of everyday objects from water-resistant polyethylene foam. ...
W5054
03.09.2012
Parish in Lezkairu - Taller Basico de Arquitectura [TBA]
WWW
Parish in Lezkairu (2011) The building takes an "L" form, as it differentiates two principal zones: the temple, which occupies one side of the "L", and the rooms and housings, that occupy the other side. Both areas coexist in a strong and unified image ...
Parish in Lezkairu (2011) The building takes an "L" form, as it differentiates two principal zones: the temple, which occupies one side of the "L", and the rooms and housings, that occupy the other side. Both areas coexist in a strong and unified image ...
W4474
25.05.2011
Ground Control - Diccon Spain
WWW
1 Introduction 1.1 Underpasses as attractive, minimalist and functional links in a holistic, uplifting, and sociable network. Polished near-white concrete walls with no art to disrupt the flow. On the ground scintillating white tarmac containing recycled ...
1 Introduction 1.1 Underpasses as attractive, minimalist and functional links in a holistic, uplifting, and sociable network. Polished near-white concrete walls with no art to disrupt the flow. On the ground scintillating white tarmac containing recycled ...
W3743
18.05.2011
Rave Joy Mobile - Kai-Oi Jay Yung
WWW
A sound proofed enclosed box, mirrored on outside, pitch-black interior lit by 100 flashing neon LEDS, fitted with strawberry smoke nebuliser, fan and ventilation shaft to sit in the gallery. To be installed with state of the art sound system, digitally l ...
A sound proofed enclosed box, mirrored on outside, pitch-black interior lit by 100 flashing neon LEDS, fitted with strawberry smoke nebuliser, fan and ventilation shaft to sit in the gallery. To be installed with state of the art sound system, digitally l ...
W4006
22.05.2011
The Panajachel Biennial’s Story: A Community Still to Come - Panajachel Biennial (Guatemala): "Shared Sensorium: Assemblages of Love, Labor and Politics"
WWW
The Panajachel Biennial’s Story: A Community Still to Come 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 co ...
The Panajachel Biennial’s Story: A Community Still to Come 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 co ...
W5178
27.09.2012
The Blue Night - Monika Goetz
WWW
Titel: The Blue Night Geplanter Standort: Westpark, München Jahr: 2011 Die Blaue Stunde ist ein poetischer Begriff für die Zeit der Dämmerung zwischen Sonnenuntergang und nächtlicher Dunkelheit, sowie für die Zeit kurz vor dem Sonnenaufgang. Rei ...
Titel: The Blue Night Geplanter Standort: Westpark, München Jahr: 2011 Die Blaue Stunde ist ein poetischer Begriff für die Zeit der Dämmerung zwischen Sonnenuntergang und nächtlicher Dunkelheit, sowie für die Zeit kurz vor dem Sonnenaufgang. Rei ...