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.

Progetto per Gerry Schum - Guiseppe Penone

<A Public Misery Message> - Critical Art Ensemble

2 Architecture Towers - Robert Irwin

Post Photographic apparatus - Steven Pippin

Untitled, modeled after the Leipzig Völkerschlachtdenkmal...  - Jenny Holzer

Grand Concours International D'Architecture  - Mahe Gilles

Projets non réalisés: - Daniel Buren

Passage - Richard Wentworth

The World is a Theater and we each have a role - Louise Bourgeois

My House - Uri Tzaig

Agency of Unrealised Projects
Logo by Liam Gillick
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Date
Title
Source
Description
Tags
W4117
23.05.2011
Water and air - Marisa Prefer
WWW
Water and air, the two essential fluids on which all life depends, have become global garbage cans.  -Jacques Yves Cousteau I am working using well-known objects as well as invisible devices. Creating multidimensional collage using public space and a ...
Water and air, the two essential fluids on which all life depends, have become global garbage cans.  -Jacques Yves Cousteau I am working using well-known objects as well as invisible devices. Creating multidimensional collage using public space and a ...
W4909
14.08.2012
Bring Your Own Balloon Party Invitations - Anna Wolfe-Pauly
WWW
This is a set of invitations made for a Bring Your Own Balloon Party. The invitations have come to serve the grid rather than the balloon community. The premise of the unrealized party is that each person holding an invitation would escort a balloon into ...
This is a set of invitations made for a Bring Your Own Balloon Party. The invitations have come to serve the grid rather than the balloon community. The premise of the unrealized party is that each person holding an invitation would escort a balloon into ...
W4722
26.05.2011
Broc Blegen
WWW
This is a proposal for a people's memorial in response to Hurricane Katrina, in which absurdly tall sandbag walls are built around important US flag poles across the city. The sandbags would be filled and stacked by each local community during day-long.. ...
This is a proposal for a people's memorial in response to Hurricane Katrina, in which absurdly tall sandbag walls are built around important US flag poles across the city. The sandbags would be filled and stacked by each local community during day-long.. ...
W4154
23.05.2011
Talk to the Other Side - KOLEKTIVA
WWW
Talk to the Other Side Unrealized project in public space by KOLEKTIVA (Vesna Bukovec, Lada Cerar, Metka Zupanič) The idea for the project was developed during the Editing residency in Gorizia at the border between Italy and Slovenia. The initial ...
Talk to the Other Side Unrealized project in public space by KOLEKTIVA (Vesna Bukovec, Lada Cerar, Metka Zupanič) The idea for the project was developed during the Editing residency in Gorizia at the border between Italy and Slovenia. The initial ...
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 ...
W5450
20.10.2012
BUILDING DRAWING III: “NO-PLACE SPACE” - Ann Daly
WWW
Ann Daly adaly@aya.yale.edu BUILDING DRAWING III: “NO-PLACE SPACE” A house or room, housed elsewhere. A large room or rectangular structure set within another space, so that one can see the outside of it and move into its interior. A more ambit ...
Ann Daly adaly@aya.yale.edu BUILDING DRAWING III: “NO-PLACE SPACE” A house or room, housed elsewhere. A large room or rectangular structure set within another space, so that one can see the outside of it and move into its interior. A more ambit ...
W3741
18.05.2011
Phantasmagorie - James Chinneck
WWW
Phantasmagorie will be a large scale multi-sited new media artwork involving a train with no passengers traveling around the United Kingdom after dark, pulling approximately nine carriages. ...
Phantasmagorie will be a large scale multi-sited new media artwork involving a train with no passengers traveling around the United Kingdom after dark, pulling approximately nine carriages. ...
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 ...
W5400
20.10.2012
WHITE CUBE RESEARCH - Pascal Unbehaun
WWW
This project was never realized. My work is close to theory, so the idea was to work in a temporary research institute in the exhibition context. I wanted to invite fellow researchers to work together. Finally, after the show ended, we would publish our r ...
This project was never realized. My work is close to theory, so the idea was to work in a temporary research institute in the exhibition context. I wanted to invite fellow researchers to work together. Finally, after the show ended, we would publish our r ...
W4458
25.05.2011
Transfer of a palm tree - Rahel Hegnauer
WWW
Transfer of a palm tree (Paris, 2007) (Unrealised project idea developed after realisation of a temporary garden in Paris, 2006 / 07 by Rahel Hegnauer / www.rahelhegnauer.ch.) Summary of the project idea Transfer: Transfer of a palm tree - usually a dec ...
Transfer of a palm tree (Paris, 2007) (Unrealised project idea developed after realisation of a temporary garden in Paris, 2006 / 07 by Rahel Hegnauer / www.rahelhegnauer.ch.) Summary of the project idea Transfer: Transfer of a palm tree - usually a dec ...
W4748
27.05.2011
Retail Therapy - Double A Projects (A. Robles & A. Stein)
WWW
PROPOSAL Title of project: Retail Therapy By: Athena Robles and Anna Stein (aka Double A Projects) Similar to our public project Global Free Store, Retail Therapy is a non-commercial storefront and exhibition that would offer various service ...
PROPOSAL Title of project: Retail Therapy By: Athena Robles and Anna Stein (aka Double A Projects) Similar to our public project Global Free Store, Retail Therapy is a non-commercial storefront and exhibition that would offer various service ...
W3858
19.05.2011
Cheryl K. Shurtleff
WWW
I propose to construct cat hair figures from fur collected from the cats housed at the Idaho Humane Shelter over a period of time. In order to realize this project I propose to visit the Humane Shelter twice per week over a period of one month. I will pet ...
I propose to construct cat hair figures from fur collected from the cats housed at the Idaho Humane Shelter over a period of time. In order to realize this project I propose to visit the Humane Shelter twice per week over a period of one month. I will pet ...
W4360
25.05.2011
Acousmatic Mapping of the Neo-Metropolis  - Nicholas M. Dreyer
WWW
Acousmatic Mapping of the Neo-Metropolis Shanghai Metro Residency Nicholas Maximilian Dreyer As long as I have been alive, I have used forms of public transportation – public buses in the small town I come from, and metro systems in any larger cit ...
Acousmatic Mapping of the Neo-Metropolis Shanghai Metro Residency Nicholas Maximilian Dreyer As long as I have been alive, I have used forms of public transportation – public buses in the small town I come from, and metro systems in any larger cit ...
W4394
25.05.2011
MINILAND MANIFESTO  - Stephen Hobbs
WWW
MINILAND MANIFESTO Ongoing documentation of a number of our coastal cities’ incomplete highway networks has prompted a reading of the space between these structures. Aside from the parking lots and spectacular film settings they provide, they are pe ...
MINILAND MANIFESTO Ongoing documentation of a number of our coastal cities’ incomplete highway networks has prompted a reading of the space between these structures. Aside from the parking lots and spectacular film settings they provide, they are pe ...
W4592
25.05.2011
Gap Ecology - David Brooks
WWW
Gap Ecology (5 Still Lives with Cherry Pickers and Palms) Conceptual Context: The current recession has halted dozens of construction projects around New York City at an alarming rate. The Building Trades Employersʼ Association is reporting nearly $5 b ...
Gap Ecology (5 Still Lives with Cherry Pickers and Palms) Conceptual Context: The current recession has halted dozens of construction projects around New York City at an alarming rate. The Building Trades Employersʼ Association is reporting nearly $5 b ...
W4673
26.05.2011
A room with a view - amalia caputo
WWW
A room with a view”, 2011 By Amalia Caputo BRIEF DESCRIPTION “A room with a view” is a project for an installation/temporary or permanent exhibition that deals with the physical inversion as an interaction/ direct experience with general pub ...
A room with a view”, 2011 By Amalia Caputo BRIEF DESCRIPTION “A room with a view” is a project for an installation/temporary or permanent exhibition that deals with the physical inversion as an interaction/ direct experience with general pub ...
W3520
11.05.2011
Steingrimur Eyfjord
WWW
These ideas are from a project I am working on which has the working title “KELLINGIN“ and is a collection of ideas, text and images. ...
These ideas are from a project I am working on which has the working title “KELLINGIN“ and is a collection of ideas, text and images. ...
W4437
25.05.2011
)SBP(  - anna ferraro
WWW
)SBP( Spazio di Baratto Permanente Lo Spazio di Baratto Permanente (SBP) è un’ipotesi di lavoro per la città di Bologna e per i suoi abitanti. Lo scorcio che si apre al mio sguardo è quello di una città caratterizzata dal “non più”. Ovvero ...
)SBP( Spazio di Baratto Permanente Lo Spazio di Baratto Permanente (SBP) è un’ipotesi di lavoro per la città di Bologna e per i suoi abitanti. Lo scorcio che si apre al mio sguardo è quello di una città caratterizzata dal “non più”. Ovvero ...
W5394
20.10.2012
THE SOUND BARRIER A DUTCH NATIONAL, MONUMENTAL & EPHEMERAL CITY ARTWORK - Harold Schellinx
WWW
THE SOUND BARRIER A DUTCH NATIONAL, MONUMENTAL & EPHEMERAL CITY ARTWORK BY GEERT-JAN HOBIJN, HAROLD SCHELLINX AND KEVIN SCHUIT FOR THE 55TH VENICE BIENNALE (JUNENOVEMBER 2013) About a hundred years ago the Italian Futurists cried out for a total break ...
THE SOUND BARRIER A DUTCH NATIONAL, MONUMENTAL & EPHEMERAL CITY ARTWORK BY GEERT-JAN HOBIJN, HAROLD SCHELLINX AND KEVIN SCHUIT FOR THE 55TH VENICE BIENNALE (JUNENOVEMBER 2013) About a hundred years ago the Italian Futurists cried out for a total break ...
W5030
31.08.2012
Spectral Horse - Mags Harries & Lajos Heder
WWW
Mags Harries & Lajos Héder Spectral Horse Location: Spectacle Island, Boston Harbor, MA (Proposal 2006) Size: 400’ x 250’ Materials: Lighting and light reflective materials Description: Spectacle Island lies in a very prominent position in Bost ...
Mags Harries & Lajos Héder Spectral Horse Location: Spectacle Island, Boston Harbor, MA (Proposal 2006) Size: 400’ x 250’ Materials: Lighting and light reflective materials Description: Spectacle Island lies in a very prominent position in Bost ...
W4133
23.05.2011
Accumulation of space - Jerzy Olek
WWW
Jerzy Olek Accumulation of space – idea for an exhibition For me, space is a form of sculpture. It is generally formless, but its manifestations assume definite formal shapes. These forms—imagined, found, constructed—appear in my works as proj ...
Jerzy Olek Accumulation of space – idea for an exhibition For me, space is a form of sculpture. It is generally formless, but its manifestations assume definite formal shapes. These forms—imagined, found, constructed—appear in my works as proj ...
W4353
25.05.2011
Circular escalator - Ricardo Gomes
WWW
Circular escalator Through our research of the City of Perth’s master plan, the public success of the revitalization of Forrest Place not only depends upon the current restructuring already under way in the vicinity, but also upon the creation of a n ...
Circular escalator Through our research of the City of Perth’s master plan, the public success of the revitalization of Forrest Place not only depends upon the current restructuring already under way in the vicinity, but also upon the creation of a n ...
W4847
08.08.2012
In Theater - James Brendan Williams
WWW
In Theater I’d like to propose a sculptural installation of silent television monitors each displaying a fixed view of a performance stage from around the world. Forty Sony Cubes or Hantarex EQs are to be stacked in the form of a four-sided pyrami ...
In Theater I’d like to propose a sculptural installation of silent television monitors each displaying a fixed view of a performance stage from around the world. Forty Sony Cubes or Hantarex EQs are to be stacked in the form of a four-sided pyrami ...
W4555
25.05.2011
UNTITED (WOVEN PORTICO) - Nicolas Feldmeyer
WWW
UNTITED (WOVEN PORTICO) Project for a site-specific installation, UCL Wilkins Building, London White fabric sheets, interwoven with the existing columns, give the portico of UCL’s Wilkins Building a temporary new monumentality. The space contained w ...
UNTITED (WOVEN PORTICO) Project for a site-specific installation, UCL Wilkins Building, London White fabric sheets, interwoven with the existing columns, give the portico of UCL’s Wilkins Building a temporary new monumentality. The space contained w ...
W3568
12.05.2011
The Pantheon 2001 - Julianna Balogh
WWW
Concept: to create a Pantheon for women of the 21st century and dedicate the building to Hillary Clinton because I see it as an artist that in this moment of history the world needs women, the caretakers, as leaders who can "connect the dots". The buil ...
Concept: to create a Pantheon for women of the 21st century and dedicate the building to Hillary Clinton because I see it as an artist that in this moment of history the world needs women, the caretakers, as leaders who can "connect the dots". The buil ...
W5285
16.10.2012
Asurini  - Adriana
WWW
Asurini – Textile Design It was my last years in University (2006) when I developed and designed this project. It took 9 months searching and designing it. I was fascinated about the local (Brazilian Indians Asurini) body painting and the story behin ...
Asurini – Textile Design It was my last years in University (2006) when I developed and designed this project. It took 9 months searching and designing it. I was fascinated about the local (Brazilian Indians Asurini) body painting and the story behin ...