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.

Monumento all'agricoltura 1969-70 - Alighiero Boetti

PROPOSALl + VOORSTEL - Guillame Bijl

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

Billboard - Jimmie Durham

The Rosetta Garden - Gary Simmons

No title, as the project only reached proposal stage - Rikrit Tiravanija

Uncompleted 1966 - and on  - John Armleder

Grand Concours International D'Architecture  - Sol Lewitt

PROPOSAL FOR SEATTLE ARTS COMMISSION, IN PUBLIC - Chris Burden

The lmprobable Flow - Larry Bell

Agency of Unrealised Projects
Logo by Liam Gillick
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Date
Title
Source
Description
Tags
W4445
25.05.2011
THE MODERN VERSION OF NOAH’S ARK - Birgitte Katborg Laursen
WWW
THE MODERN VERSION OF NOAH’S ARK In 2003-2005, ÖO’K Aquatic Structures AB (www.ook.se) designed a technologically advanced, sustainable houseboat prototype. The superstructure of the houseboat was designed in collaboration with the engineering f ...
THE MODERN VERSION OF NOAH’S ARK In 2003-2005, ÖO’K Aquatic Structures AB (www.ook.se) designed a technologically advanced, sustainable houseboat prototype. The superstructure of the houseboat was designed in collaboration with the engineering f ...
D10803
09.09.2012
Untitled  - Theo Eshetu
DAAD
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 ...
W4467
25.05.2011
ExpErimEnts and obsErvations - hanna husberg
WWW
ExpErimEnts and obsErvations on diffErEnt kinds of air The project introduces a canalization of tubes with inhalers connected to N2O gas tanks at some public spaces as the auditorium of a theatre or a metro train. Experiments and observations on differe ...
ExpErimEnts and obsErvations on diffErEnt kinds of air The project introduces a canalization of tubes with inhalers connected to N2O gas tanks at some public spaces as the auditorium of a theatre or a metro train. Experiments and observations on differe ...
W4792
13.06.2011
No Flag Long Enough - Santiago Pinyol
WWW
NO FLAG LONG ENOUGH Flags are not meant to touch the floor, everybody knows that. Flags are meant to be weaved, to be watched, to preside. The intervention proposed to bring the flags down from their vertical order into the horizontal one, connecti ...
NO FLAG LONG ENOUGH Flags are not meant to touch the floor, everybody knows that. Flags are meant to be weaved, to be watched, to preside. The intervention proposed to bring the flags down from their vertical order into the horizontal one, connecti ...
W5414
20.10.2012
We called it a modest proposal - gerlach en koop
WWW
We called it a modest proposal We called it a modest proposal when we presented it, one morning, end of January 2008, at the headquarters of Europol, Raamweg 47 in The Hague (NL), a building almost completely hidden behind a dense thicket of ivy. A rad ...
We called it a modest proposal We called it a modest proposal when we presented it, one morning, end of January 2008, at the headquarters of Europol, Raamweg 47 in The Hague (NL), a building almost completely hidden behind a dense thicket of ivy. A rad ...
W3650
15.05.2011
Justyn Zolli
WWW
These are two unrealized designs are for large stained glass windows. The designs is variable in scale, and the windows would make use of specialized glass such as lenses, roundel disks, and mouth-blown antique glass. This photo is derived from a maquette ...
These are two unrealized designs are for large stained glass windows. The designs is variable in scale, and the windows would make use of specialized glass such as lenses, roundel disks, and mouth-blown antique glass. This photo is derived from a maquette ...
W3699
17.05.2011
Nikki White
WWW
Both pieces I have submitted were started when I was feeling a certain way. I began making the sketches (which is what you see here) then I stopped working on the sketches and the paintings were never born. The reason for this is that since both were cr ...
Both pieces I have submitted were started when I was feeling a certain way. I began making the sketches (which is what you see here) then I stopped working on the sketches and the paintings were never born. The reason for this is that since both were cr ...
W4099
23.05.2011
Tyburn 
Tree
 - Rick Buckley
WWW
‘Tyburn Tree’ is a site‐specific (powder coated) steel structure. Elevated upon three vertical beams, measuring approx 6 metres in height. To stand at the original site of the infamous historical location for state executions, situated on a partiall ...
‘Tyburn Tree’ is a site‐specific (powder coated) steel structure. Elevated upon three vertical beams, measuring approx 6 metres in height. To stand at the original site of the infamous historical location for state executions, situated on a partiall ...
W4038
22.05.2011
Les dessous de Môtiers - Jacqueline Benz
WWW
Les dessous de Môtiers Le toit est soulevé par une grue, 80 cm d’intervalle marquent l’écart entre le bâtiment et le toit. Les pans du toit ont l’air de flotter un peu au-dessus de la maison, dans une légère mise en mouvement. Rien n’est ...
Les dessous de Môtiers Le toit est soulevé par une grue, 80 cm d’intervalle marquent l’écart entre le bâtiment et le toit. Les pans du toit ont l’air de flotter un peu au-dessus de la maison, dans une légère mise en mouvement. Rien n’est ...
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 ...
W3859
19.05.2011
Waiting room: A History of Doing Nothing and a Long Tale of Useful Action - Guillermo E. Rodriguez Rivera
WWW
G A L E R I A M A N G O S T A 23 June – 31 July 2011 402 Muñoz Rivera Ave FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Galeria Mangosta is pleased to present Waiting room: a history of doing nothing and a long tale of useful action. Looking at the pivotal role of ...
G A L E R I A M A N G O S T A 23 June – 31 July 2011 402 Muñoz Rivera Ave FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Galeria Mangosta is pleased to present Waiting room: a history of doing nothing and a long tale of useful action. Looking at the pivotal role of ...
W5052
03.09.2012
Hall of Residence for the UPV - Taller Basico de Arquitectura [TBA]
WWW
Hall of Residence for the UPV (2011) AIR STRATA This metal cloud made from three air strata rises on its own footprint. The interior is opened into two equal halves, generating a large interior street opened to the sky and to the ground plane, which ...
Hall of Residence for the UPV (2011) AIR STRATA This metal cloud made from three air strata rises on its own footprint. The interior is opened into two equal halves, generating a large interior street opened to the sky and to the ground plane, which ...
W4536
25.05.2011
CHARM OF SOUND - Petri Kuljuntausta
WWW
PETRI KULJUNTAUSTA: CHARM OF SOUND (1997) Petri Kuljuntausta's Charm of Sound (1997) is a text-based environmental composition in three parts, which is composed for outer space environment. In 1997 Cassini-Huygens spacecraft (Titan-IVB/Centaur) was laun ...
PETRI KULJUNTAUSTA: CHARM OF SOUND (1997) Petri Kuljuntausta's Charm of Sound (1997) is a text-based environmental composition in three parts, which is composed for outer space environment. In 1997 Cassini-Huygens spacecraft (Titan-IVB/Centaur) was laun ...
W3629
14.05.2011
Central Park Monument to the Nimbus of Victory, 2009 - Peter Joslyn
WWW
The monument is one of a series of proposals for large scale public sculptures to celebrate the visionary nature of the artist. The aim is to bring to the world an understanding of the artists point of view by providing the spectacular, and by sharing the ...
The monument is one of a series of proposals for large scale public sculptures to celebrate the visionary nature of the artist. The aim is to bring to the world an understanding of the artists point of view by providing the spectacular, and by sharing the ...
W5345
18.10.2012
Lisa Bateman
WWW
An installation of public smell (ocean, brine, tar, old fish) -housed inside an abandoned parking shack at the site of the old Fulton Fish Market, NYC. Smell is emitted from a DMX HVAC scent through the fence and into public space. ...
An installation of public smell (ocean, brine, tar, old fish) -housed inside an abandoned parking shack at the site of the old Fulton Fish Market, NYC. Smell is emitted from a DMX HVAC scent through the fence and into public space. ...
W4922
18.08.2012
sin∞fin – The Logbook and Left Over’s Installation "An Itinerary on the Boarders of our Bodies" - VestAndPage (Verena Stenke & Andrea Pagnes)
WWW
The idea of making a Logbook that digs into the core of the poiesis of VestAndPage’s recently edited movie trilogy sin∞fin - The Movie (hybrid opera combining Performance art and filmmaking), as cornerstone of an exhibition installation of various ori ...
The idea of making a Logbook that digs into the core of the poiesis of VestAndPage’s recently edited movie trilogy sin∞fin - The Movie (hybrid opera combining Performance art and filmmaking), as cornerstone of an exhibition installation of various ori ...
W5898
18.10.2013
Open tunnel - Matthijs Muller
WWW
A hilly landscape makes lines of trees disappear behind nearby hills or offers a view at a tree from above. In the Netherlands the flatness of the landscape makes that impossible. But, since the whole country is manmade, the solution for this is also ma ...
A hilly landscape makes lines of trees disappear behind nearby hills or offers a view at a tree from above. In the Netherlands the flatness of the landscape makes that impossible. But, since the whole country is manmade, the solution for this is also ma ...
W4481
25.05.2011
Social Media Surrogate  - Jesse Fulton
WWW
Fulton 1 Social Media Surrogate Summary Social Media Surrogate is a conceptual online performance. The piece in its simplest form consists of the following four actions: 1. Write a script to gather data from a social network which accurately character ...
Fulton 1 Social Media Surrogate Summary Social Media Surrogate is a conceptual online performance. The piece in its simplest form consists of the following four actions: 1. Write a script to gather data from a social network which accurately character ...
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 ...
U9816
05.02.1990
The pyramids...to be seen to be believed - Jonathan Monk
Unbuilt Roads
Glasgow 1990 Cultural Capital of Europe 5 February 1990 Mr Jonathan Monk 22 Cecil Street Hillhead Glasgow G12 8RH Dear Jonathan Monk Thank you very much for your exciting letter concerning your proposed project for this year namely ...
Glasgow 1990 Cultural Capital of Europe 5 February 1990 Mr Jonathan Monk 22 Cecil Street Hillhead Glasgow G12 8RH Dear Jonathan Monk Thank you very much for your exciting letter concerning your proposed project for this year namely ...
W5312
17.10.2012
Empire - Elena Dubrova
WWW
We would like to introduce to Your attention our short non embodied project. The project itself can be incarnate but his idea is reverse. We named it ‘Empire’. Project consist series of photo ( 5 pieces) and 1 gif. image. It consists awareness, ...
We would like to introduce to Your attention our short non embodied project. The project itself can be incarnate but his idea is reverse. We named it ‘Empire’. Project consist series of photo ( 5 pieces) and 1 gif. image. It consists awareness, ...
U9258
01.01.1966
Uncompleted 1966 - and on  - John Armleder
Unbuilt Roads
I have not kept track of most of my umcompleted projects (and many of the completed ones - ) I believe this is quite alright - Most of what has never been done was either to boring, inconvenient, incorrect, or whatever - no regrets. Some projects made h ...
I have not kept track of most of my umcompleted projects (and many of the completed ones - ) I believe this is quite alright - Most of what has never been done was either to boring, inconvenient, incorrect, or whatever - no regrets. Some projects made h ...
W3679
16.05.2011
William Livingstone house Detroit Project 2010 submitted to United States Artists Projects - Vincent Johnson
WWW
The project I am engaged in is the production of a three-foot tall sculpture on a table-top of the collapsed William Livingstone house in Detroit. This is important to me as it represents a metaphorical revisiting of my past, as this Detroit home represen ...
The project I am engaged in is the production of a three-foot tall sculpture on a table-top of the collapsed William Livingstone house in Detroit. This is important to me as it represents a metaphorical revisiting of my past, as this Detroit home represen ...
W3673
15.05.2011
SOUNDFAIR  - Clara Meister
WWW
THE UTOPIA OF A SOUNDSHOW ʻTELL ME ALL, SHOW ME NOTHINGʼ INTRODUCTION UNREALIZED PROJECT INTRODUCTION OF THE FOUNDERS 4. REALIZED PORJECTS CONTACT: Clara Meister clara@soundfair.net www.soundfair.net INTRODUCTION SOUNDFAIR - EXHI ...
THE UTOPIA OF A SOUNDSHOW ʻTELL ME ALL, SHOW ME NOTHINGʼ INTRODUCTION UNREALIZED PROJECT INTRODUCTION OF THE FOUNDERS 4. REALIZED PORJECTS CONTACT: Clara Meister clara@soundfair.net www.soundfair.net INTRODUCTION SOUNDFAIR - EXHI ...
W4093
23.05.2011
UNREALIZEABLE PROJECT A000005 - Stefano W. Pasquini
WWW
UNREALIZEABLE PROJECT A000005: dealing with the memory of the Desaparecidos of Argentina. ...
UNREALIZEABLE PROJECT A000005: dealing with the memory of the Desaparecidos of Argentina. ...