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.

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

My House - Uri Tzaig

"Ileana, I love you" - Maurizo Cattelan

Memorial - Ilya Kabakov

Project pour le parc de sculpture de Vassiviére - Paul-Armand Gette

Grand Concours International D'Architecture  - Mahe Gilles

PROJECT FOR A COMMUNITY CENTER, AVENUE DES NARCISSES, CHENOVE - Vito Acconci

Uncompleted 1966 - and on  - John Armleder

The lmprobable Flow - Larry Bell

Relatum (Iron Plate and Stone) - Lee Ufan

Agency of Unrealised Projects
Logo by Liam Gillick
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Date
Title
Source
Description
Tags
W4271
24.05.2011
Kristin Jones / Andrew Ginzel
WWW
Oregon Convention Center Proposal Portland, Oregon 1988 ...
Oregon Convention Center Proposal Portland, Oregon 1988 ...
W3815
19.05.2011
Bury Me Like This - T. Kelly Mason
WWW
Bury Me Like This A project proposed in 2007 and distributed in the form of a public invitation sent from Adamski, Berlin. The work is to to be executed as soon as possible. The work proposes that, upon the occasion of my death, my clothed body sha ...
Bury Me Like This A project proposed in 2007 and distributed in the form of a public invitation sent from Adamski, Berlin. The work is to to be executed as soon as possible. The work proposes that, upon the occasion of my death, my clothed body sha ...
W5476
21.10.2012
Roberto Delgado
WWW
Berliner Künstlerprogramm/DAAD 19 Oct 2012 This is a Project Description for the unrealized Los Angeles Police Department Hollenbeck Station Public Art Project RFP. My proposal was for a number of 3’ x 7’ ceramic tile panels mounted on the CMU ...
Berliner Künstlerprogramm/DAAD 19 Oct 2012 This is a Project Description for the unrealized Los Angeles Police Department Hollenbeck Station Public Art Project RFP. My proposal was for a number of 3’ x 7’ ceramic tile panels mounted on the CMU ...
W3940
20.05.2011
A Drummer's Pavilion - Olivia Booth
WWW
The drummers pavilion is meant to dilate a window plane- in fact wrench it open- and counteract the glib overuse of glass in urban architecture. Glass is a lateral horizon into which we can compose and in this single person pavilion one does just that; id ...
The drummers pavilion is meant to dilate a window plane- in fact wrench it open- and counteract the glib overuse of glass in urban architecture. Glass is a lateral horizon into which we can compose and in this single person pavilion one does just that; id ...
D10830
01.01.2008
Beautiful Neons: Gazda - Paulina Olowska
DAAD
In 2008 I had established an unofficial society called " Beautiful Neons" we have about 10 unofficial friends and members. Our aim is to collect material on the art of neons and the remains of it. When we think there is a chance of renovation a particular ...
In 2008 I had established an unofficial society called " Beautiful Neons" we have about 10 unofficial friends and members. Our aim is to collect material on the art of neons and the remains of it. When we think there is a chance of renovation a particular ...
W3724
17.05.2011
Sgt. Martin Tours  - Jose Luis Rojas
WWW
Sgt. Martin Tours was a sculptural project which never reached completion mainly due to lack of interest on a theme I had been working on for at least five years. Even though, the work remains "postponed" at its best, and I do regret not finishing it.. ...
Sgt. Martin Tours was a sculptural project which never reached completion mainly due to lack of interest on a theme I had been working on for at least five years. Even though, the work remains "postponed" at its best, and I do regret not finishing it.. ...
W4939
19.08.2012
Horizontal Fall - Julia Davis
WWW
JULIA DAVIS 2012 Unrealized Project: HORIZONTAL FALL 13 minute HD Video, Four channel surround sound A ten-minute video shot in the restricted access area of the Wieliczka Salt mine in Poland 2009 is projected in a 3.5m diameter area on the floor o ...
JULIA DAVIS 2012 Unrealized Project: HORIZONTAL FALL 13 minute HD Video, Four channel surround sound A ten-minute video shot in the restricted access area of the Wieliczka Salt mine in Poland 2009 is projected in a 3.5m diameter area on the floor o ...
W4105
23.05.2011
Dazzle Study #10 an onwards     - Håvard Pedersen
WWW
Dazzle Study #10 an onwards were to be a series of abstract artwork, both site specific work and as individual sculptures, based on the theory of Dazzle Camouflage. The camouflage, credited to the English painter Norman Wilkinson, where first used during ...
Dazzle Study #10 an onwards were to be a series of abstract artwork, both site specific work and as individual sculptures, based on the theory of Dazzle Camouflage. The camouflage, credited to the English painter Norman Wilkinson, where first used during ...
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 ...
W10322
01.01.2009
The Untouchable  - John Xaviers
WWW
Proposal submitted by John Xaviers for City as Studio to SARAI, CSDS In the form of a graphic novel/essay, I would like to explore Delhi-Gurgaon bus journey. These buses which are always crowded become the space and occasion where physical touch is per ...
Proposal submitted by John Xaviers for City as Studio to SARAI, CSDS In the form of a graphic novel/essay, I would like to explore Delhi-Gurgaon bus journey. These buses which are always crowded become the space and occasion where physical touch is per ...
W5149
24.09.2012
Blue Republic - Blue Republic
WWW
Does our feeling at home in our world have to be based on the long index of scaffoldings, enhancements, prosthetic devices, concepts, theories, and beliefs? Is there a way out, or are we trapped forever by our limitations? The yet unrealized project of Bl ...
Does our feeling at home in our world have to be based on the long index of scaffoldings, enhancements, prosthetic devices, concepts, theories, and beliefs? Is there a way out, or are we trapped forever by our limitations? The yet unrealized project of Bl ...
W4310
24.05.2011
The “Mariah Carey Perpetual God Machine" - Reynard Loki
WWW
The Mariah Carey Perpetual God Machine Based on Fractal Technology An unrealized project by Reynard Loki http://reynardloki.blogspot.com/ The “Mariah Carey Perpetual God Machine Based on Fractal Technology” is an unrealized project consisti ...
The Mariah Carey Perpetual God Machine Based on Fractal Technology An unrealized project by Reynard Loki http://reynardloki.blogspot.com/ The “Mariah Carey Perpetual God Machine Based on Fractal Technology” is an unrealized project consisti ...
W4317
24.05.2011
LANGAGE - Tom Veeger & Ivo Schoofs
WWW
LANGAGE Proposition Neon construction cinétique Plaine de Plainpalais, Geneva Organisation Fmac, FCAC l'auteur Tom Veeger, MSc & Ivo Schoofs, BSc March 20th, 2011 LANGAGE La place est pleine de monde. Les hésitants regardent en l’air ...
LANGAGE Proposition Neon construction cinétique Plaine de Plainpalais, Geneva Organisation Fmac, FCAC l'auteur Tom Veeger, MSc & Ivo Schoofs, BSc March 20th, 2011 LANGAGE La place est pleine de monde. Les hésitants regardent en l’air ...
W5376
19.10.2012
FIRE! - Mary Behm-Steinberg
WWW
Statement for the bronze plaque (or documentation in the museum)*** Everywhere we look, the common person and the environment are under attack. Global warming; crop failures; poverty and starvation; the disappearance of the middle class and as America ...
Statement for the bronze plaque (or documentation in the museum)*** Everywhere we look, the common person and the environment are under attack. Global warming; crop failures; poverty and starvation; the disappearance of the middle class and as America ...
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 ...
W4672
26.05.2011
Neural Portal - Stephen Pusey
WWW
Neural Portal Transient installation on 26th Street, West Chelsea, NYC Artist: Stephen Pusey The image would be created by high intensity pulses of light emitted from hundreds of lasers embedded in the frame. The effect is to create a warping field tha ...
Neural Portal Transient installation on 26th Street, West Chelsea, NYC Artist: Stephen Pusey The image would be created by high intensity pulses of light emitted from hundreds of lasers embedded in the frame. The effect is to create a warping field tha ...
W4622
25.05.2011
THE STAR OF MIAMI - Roberto Behar & Rosario Marquardt / R & R Studios
WWW
THE STAR OF MIAMI WATERMARK & PUBLIC PARK The origin of The Star of Miami is in the sky, the idea of hope and the world of tomorrow. Like a cardinal star that unites North, South, East and West, the northern star that guides sailors to new lands and a ...
THE STAR OF MIAMI WATERMARK & PUBLIC PARK The origin of The Star of Miami is in the sky, the idea of hope and the world of tomorrow. Like a cardinal star that unites North, South, East and West, the northern star that guides sailors to new lands and a ...
W5459
20.10.2012
Temporary Projection Installations for the Survivors of Atrocities. - Gavin Halm
WWW
Summary: Listings of the names of survivors (and their extended families through the present) are projected upon the walls and surrounding grounds of sites where atrocities have taken, or are currently taking, place. The thousands of names could be projec ...
Summary: Listings of the names of survivors (and their extended families through the present) are projected upon the walls and surrounding grounds of sites where atrocities have taken, or are currently taking, place. The thousands of names could be projec ...
W5080
06.09.2012
Urban Void 05  - Toornend & Post
WWW
Urban Void 05 (Villa), Am Grossen Wannsee, Berlin (D) 2006 (lambdaprint 1665×4190 pixels) Urban Voids offer spatial relief, unexpected views and twisted collective memories by the apparently simple act of removal; Urban Voids are architectures antipod ...
Urban Void 05 (Villa), Am Grossen Wannsee, Berlin (D) 2006 (lambdaprint 1665×4190 pixels) Urban Voids offer spatial relief, unexpected views and twisted collective memories by the apparently simple act of removal; Urban Voids are architectures antipod ...
W3711
17.05.2011
Place Jacques-Cartier, Montréal 1990 (with Tony Fretton) - Mark Pimlott
WWW
This project proposed a monumental surface for Place Jacques-Cartier that resembled the streets an unconscious places that were typical of Montréal’s topography. The ground was conceived of as a portion of the granite shield that the city is built on, ...
This project proposed a monumental surface for Place Jacques-Cartier that resembled the streets an unconscious places that were typical of Montréal’s topography. The ground was conceived of as a portion of the granite shield that the city is built on, ...
W4809
07.08.2012
Transitional Monument - David Mabb
WWW
Transitional Monument (2004). Digital montage. Dimensions variable. Transitional Monument was made as a proposal for a public artwork. The two images show photos of a now demolished sixties tower block, Linosa Close, Liverpool, with William Morris d ...
Transitional Monument (2004). Digital montage. Dimensions variable. Transitional Monument was made as a proposal for a public artwork. The two images show photos of a now demolished sixties tower block, Linosa Close, Liverpool, with William Morris d ...
W4642
25.05.2011
WHEN YOU CUT INTO THE PRESENT THE FUTURE LEAKS OUT (PRODUCTION OF SPACE) - ELENA BAJO
WWW
WHEN YOU CUT INTO THE PRESENT THE FUTURE LEAKS OUT (PRODUCTION OF SPACE) “The form of social space is encounter, assembly, simultaneity; social space implies actual or potential assembly at a single point or around that point.” - Henri Lefebvre, from ...
WHEN YOU CUT INTO THE PRESENT THE FUTURE LEAKS OUT (PRODUCTION OF SPACE) “The form of social space is encounter, assembly, simultaneity; social space implies actual or potential assembly at a single point or around that point.” - Henri Lefebvre, from ...
W4490
25.05.2011
TerraLoop - W.A.Davison
WWW
William A. Davison is a multi-disciplinary artist and composer living and working in Toronto, Canada. Through his solo sound and performance project Songs of the New Erotics, Davison has been applying classic experimental music techniques to conceptual/pe ...
William A. Davison is a multi-disciplinary artist and composer living and working in Toronto, Canada. Through his solo sound and performance project Songs of the New Erotics, Davison has been applying classic experimental music techniques to conceptual/pe ...
W4114
23.05.2011
“Mother Teresa” - Helidon Gjergji
WWW
TIRANA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT “Mother Teresa” The Tirana International Airport “Mother Teresa” was recently inaugurated, and is quite an impressive piece of contemporary architecture in which locals take great pride. At the same time, what is m ...
TIRANA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT “Mother Teresa” The Tirana International Airport “Mother Teresa” was recently inaugurated, and is quite an impressive piece of contemporary architecture in which locals take great pride. At the same time, what is m ...
W3677
15.05.2011
Broken Monumen - ESTHER ACHAERANDIO
WWW
Broken Monument Mixed Media. 8x8x18cm. 2011. Broken Monument takes part of a projects that I was working on for pleasure since 2001. While this works is comprised of a diferent of mediums, they do not aim to ladder up to a singular thesis. That sai ...
Broken Monument Mixed Media. 8x8x18cm. 2011. Broken Monument takes part of a projects that I was working on for pleasure since 2001. While this works is comprised of a diferent of mediums, they do not aim to ladder up to a singular thesis. That sai ...
W3998
21.05.2011
A GARDEN INSIDE INSTITUTIONS - Jana Leo De Blas
WWW
GREEN & WET Angel Borrego & Jana Leo Repetition and Acumulation. The wall is made out of individual plants. Each plant is pretty similar to another But, at the same time, different. For long term installations, a person could sponsors one or more p ...
GREEN & WET Angel Borrego & Jana Leo Repetition and Acumulation. The wall is made out of individual plants. Each plant is pretty similar to another But, at the same time, different. For long term installations, a person could sponsors one or more p ...