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.

Project 1 + Project 2 - Simryn Gill

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

Dog Jaw Monument - A Futurist Tele-introject - Leon Golub

The Clock - Ayse Erkmen

NON REALIZED PROJECTS - Christo and Jeanne-Claude

KEEPING IN TOUCH - Allan Kaprow

Right-of-Privacy Release - Tony Oursler

Why New Worlds Conceived by Artists Do Not Get Built - Peter Fend

Ruderaltisch, 1994/95 Kunst am Bau - Projekt - Lois Weinberger

Engel-Detektor - Jakob Gautel & Jason Karaïndros

Agency of Unrealised Projects
Logo by Liam Gillick
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Date
Title
Source
Description
Tags
W4494
25.05.2011
'“Cork 2000: The Symbol of Never-ending Happiness”  - Andro Semeiko
WWW
'“Cork 2000: The Symbol of Never-ending Happiness” 'Cork 2000 was built and launched by Cape Space Centre (CSC) in response to a celebration of the year 2000. President of CSC, Dr B. Karney said in her interview: “Popping the cork is associated w ...
'“Cork 2000: The Symbol of Never-ending Happiness” 'Cork 2000 was built and launched by Cape Space Centre (CSC) in response to a celebration of the year 2000. President of CSC, Dr B. Karney said in her interview: “Popping the cork is associated w ...
W10588
21.06.2014
The Surrey Flame - Jonathan Parsons
WWW
Proposal to re-use the dismantled aluminium Olympic Rings that were sited on Box Hill during the cycling road race of London 2012 The forms that resulted from the way the original aluminium Olympic rings had been deconstructed inspired me to design a s ...
Proposal to re-use the dismantled aluminium Olympic Rings that were sited on Box Hill during the cycling road race of London 2012 The forms that resulted from the way the original aluminium Olympic rings had been deconstructed inspired me to design a s ...
W4419
25.05.2011
Things we never did  - beate rathmayr
WWW
Things we never did An archiv of unrealized ideas Idea / concept: Beate Rathmayr In december 2010 an archive at the artist association MAERZ showed things artists never did. For some weeks written, spoken and drafted fragments showed unfulfilled and u ...
Things we never did An archiv of unrealized ideas Idea / concept: Beate Rathmayr In december 2010 an archive at the artist association MAERZ showed things artists never did. For some weeks written, spoken and drafted fragments showed unfulfilled and u ...
W4515
25.05.2011
Viktor Timofeev
WWW
In this painting I have "created" a triumphal arch constructed out of 13 worker-housing units, stacked precariously and defying the laws of physics. While this village/monument is rendered to appear structurally sound, its context is most certainly utopia ...
In this painting I have "created" a triumphal arch constructed out of 13 worker-housing units, stacked precariously and defying the laws of physics. While this village/monument is rendered to appear structurally sound, its context is most certainly utopia ...
W4172
24.05.2011
The Neverending Fence - Tom Butler
WWW
Statement for The Agency Of Unrealized Projects I use found postcards as miniature environments for sinister and fantastical scenarios. These proposals are not intended be realized and are also distanced from us by the age of the postcard, the only pl ...
Statement for The Agency Of Unrealized Projects I use found postcards as miniature environments for sinister and fantastical scenarios. These proposals are not intended be realized and are also distanced from us by the age of the postcard, the only pl ...
W4921
16.08.2012
‘Proposition for Trove: Light Installation/Painting According to Tonal Values’ and ‘Proposal for Modernist Teepee in Poured Concrete’ - Mary Yacoob
WWW
Title of Image 1: ‘Proposition for Trove: Light Installation/Painting According to Tonal Values’, 42 x 29.5cm, ink and graphite on paper, 2011 Title of Image 2: ‘Proposal for Modernist Teepee in Poured Concrete’, ink and graphite on paper, 50.8 ...
Title of Image 1: ‘Proposition for Trove: Light Installation/Painting According to Tonal Values’, 42 x 29.5cm, ink and graphite on paper, 2011 Title of Image 2: ‘Proposal for Modernist Teepee in Poured Concrete’, ink and graphite on paper, 50.8 ...
W4591
25.05.2011
Unbuilt Art Project - colab studio, llc
WWW
colab studio, llc Reach 11 – Unbuilt Art Project AUP 05.25.11 Reach 11 is a sports complex in North Phoenix comprised of 18 soccer fields and 4 baseball fields. A Call for Artists went out to provide large amounts of shade at four diverse locations with ...
colab studio, llc Reach 11 – Unbuilt Art Project AUP 05.25.11 Reach 11 is a sports complex in North Phoenix comprised of 18 soccer fields and 4 baseball fields. A Call for Artists went out to provide large amounts of shade at four diverse locations with ...
W4063
23.05.2011
Brit Bunkley
WWW
A signpost. An elevated park. ...
A signpost. An elevated park. ...
W3750
18.05.2011
Red stars, 2008 - Tanja Lazetic
WWW
Early in 2008 I was planning a coloring action. There is a historical monument in Ljubljana called The Trail of Remembrance and Comradeship; consisting of a walkway almost ringing Ljubljana; its signposts bear the emblem of the red star. Over time, the re ...
Early in 2008 I was planning a coloring action. There is a historical monument in Ljubljana called The Trail of Remembrance and Comradeship; consisting of a walkway almost ringing Ljubljana; its signposts bear the emblem of the red star. Over time, the re ...
W5313
17.10.2012
“The Account” 2011 - Georgina Criddle
WWW
“The Account” 2011, is a detailed sketch and testimony of an unrealised installation project in a gas station in Berlin. The two pieces attempt to suspend the work in a potential space between fiction and reality. ...
“The Account” 2011, is a detailed sketch and testimony of an unrealised installation project in a gas station in Berlin. The two pieces attempt to suspend the work in a potential space between fiction and reality. ...
W4582
25.05.2011
Three Genetic Drifts  - David Brooks
WWW
Three Genetic Drifts wooden boardwalk, pedestrian tree (ficus benjamina or equivalent) anchored in concrete planter, crane and hoisting equipment Dimensions variable [proposal for London parking garage] Boardwalks are user-friendly infrastructures that ...
Three Genetic Drifts wooden boardwalk, pedestrian tree (ficus benjamina or equivalent) anchored in concrete planter, crane and hoisting equipment Dimensions variable [proposal for London parking garage] Boardwalks are user-friendly infrastructures that ...
W3735
18.05.2011
Revelation - Felippe Moraes
WWW
The installation “Revelation” consisits in a room where everything is White and with a White marble sand in the floor. A white peacock inhabits the room where it can freely walk over the furniture, the objects and those continuously mod ...
The installation “Revelation” consisits in a room where everything is White and with a White marble sand in the floor. A white peacock inhabits the room where it can freely walk over the furniture, the objects and those continuously mod ...
W4680
26.05.2011
Heads in Starlight - Kathryn Macdonald
WWW
Heads in Starlight, a closing event, for Feel Felt (see background on page 2) night performance for up to 100. We bring pre-cut unassembled tall paper-cone hats and on site we thread tall grass stalks and fine light-optic cables through the tips of the h ...
Heads in Starlight, a closing event, for Feel Felt (see background on page 2) night performance for up to 100. We bring pre-cut unassembled tall paper-cone hats and on site we thread tall grass stalks and fine light-optic cables through the tips of the h ...
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 ...
U9973
23.01.1993
Brücke Wein-Kanal Arch. Hermann Czech, Wein - Franz West
Unbuilt Roads
Denen, die in dieselben Flüsse steigen, fließen immer neue Wasser zu , und (immer neue) Seelen entsteigen der Feuchtigkeit. Heraklit, Fragment 12[1] Linkes Brückenauflager Ansicht Nordwest M 1:33 ...
Denen, die in dieselben Flüsse steigen, fließen immer neue Wasser zu , und (immer neue) Seelen entsteigen der Feuchtigkeit. Heraklit, Fragment 12[1] Linkes Brückenauflager Ansicht Nordwest M 1:33 ...
W5214
06.10.2012
Pentahedrices - Stephen Da Lay
WWW
Stephen M. Da Lay has met the requirements for the Marjorie Schiele Prize. He received his BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute in 1989, and his work has been shown nationally and internationally. Stephen’s work has been exhibited at 2nd Penang I ...
Stephen M. Da Lay has met the requirements for the Marjorie Schiele Prize. He received his BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute in 1989, and his work has been shown nationally and internationally. Stephen’s work has been exhibited at 2nd Penang I ...
W4147
23.05.2011
The End of Art Theory - Cornford & Cross
WWW
The End of Art Theory We were invited to submit proposals for the 2002 Liverpool Biennial. We proposed to commission a Group 4 private security vehicle and uniformed crew, as used by HM Courts and Prison Service to transport defendants. During the Bi ...
The End of Art Theory We were invited to submit proposals for the 2002 Liverpool Biennial. We proposed to commission a Group 4 private security vehicle and uniformed crew, as used by HM Courts and Prison Service to transport defendants. During the Bi ...
W3842
19.05.2011
BLIND SPOT - KimSu Theiler
WWW
dimensions variable Can we turn the horror of being dematerialized whether in the eyes of a beloved or in a community into the super-hero power of invisibility and back again. 8 cameras in a circle point out over the room. 8 grid camera view re ...
dimensions variable Can we turn the horror of being dematerialized whether in the eyes of a beloved or in a community into the super-hero power of invisibility and back again. 8 cameras in a circle point out over the room. 8 grid camera view re ...
W3495
11.05.2011
Recipes for Disaster - Joy Garnett
WWW
Joy Garnett Recipes for Disaster Real recipes with humorous (dark), brief but informative essays. Cautionary tales, food chain fables. Dorothy Parker meets M.F.K. Fisher's How to Cook a Wolf in a Bruce Sterlingesque post-apocalyptic future. Heston B ...
Joy Garnett Recipes for Disaster Real recipes with humorous (dark), brief but informative essays. Cautionary tales, food chain fables. Dorothy Parker meets M.F.K. Fisher's How to Cook a Wolf in a Bruce Sterlingesque post-apocalyptic future. Heston B ...
W5477
21.10.2012
Wojciech Gilewicz
WWW
With making the described below proposal in the framework of an open call organized by the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw (in progress since 2005), I wanted to develop in 2005 in Warsaw public space a project consisting in both revival of Warsaw urban fab ...
With making the described below proposal in the framework of an open call organized by the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw (in progress since 2005), I wanted to develop in 2005 in Warsaw public space a project consisting in both revival of Warsaw urban fab ...
W3879
19.05.2011
SPLASH - Derek Michael Besant
WWW
Seating in the Epcore Centre for Performing Arts turns into an oil spill Client: Epcore Centre for Performing Arts / Calgary Alberta Canada Date: 1990 Central hall of new Epcore Centre designed as public seating area at base of Splash. Sculptur ...
Seating in the Epcore Centre for Performing Arts turns into an oil spill Client: Epcore Centre for Performing Arts / Calgary Alberta Canada Date: 1990 Central hall of new Epcore Centre designed as public seating area at base of Splash. Sculptur ...
W3907
20.05.2011
Alan Yates
WWW
As Contemporary art exhibitions develop towards a multiplicity of practises and genres, many are being used for urban regeneration and environmental projects. In this new landscape I wish to lead on initiatives to re-shape the urban landscape to incorpora ...
As Contemporary art exhibitions develop towards a multiplicity of practises and genres, many are being used for urban regeneration and environmental projects. In this new landscape I wish to lead on initiatives to re-shape the urban landscape to incorpora ...
W5499
09.11.2012
CUBICAL PROGRESSION  - Ada Avetist
WWW
Status: This project runs in the spirit of “concrete Utopia”, a project which is yet to be realized. This implies that it might take the duration of my lifetime to realize this work, but has to be realized at some point because I believe in its potent ...
Status: This project runs in the spirit of “concrete Utopia”, a project which is yet to be realized. This implies that it might take the duration of my lifetime to realize this work, but has to be realized at some point because I believe in its potent ...
W4820
07.08.2012
Pablo Jansana
WWW
People are normalized by depiction. It situates them in positions that, with the passing of time, become identities. Reality requires repetition in order for meaning to settle and artworks help to reinforce these positions. The supremacy of men over women ...
People are normalized by depiction. It situates them in positions that, with the passing of time, become identities. Reality requires repetition in order for meaning to settle and artworks help to reinforce these positions. The supremacy of men over women ...
W4311
24.05.2011
A contemporary folk dance  - Adam Lewin
WWW
A contemporary folk dance with mobility scooters. It has been a long tog time dream of mine to do a choreographed performance of the handicapped utilizing mobility scooters whilst filming it overhead in the style of a Busby Berkeley film. ...
A contemporary folk dance with mobility scooters. It has been a long tog time dream of mine to do a choreographed performance of the handicapped utilizing mobility scooters whilst filming it overhead in the style of a Busby Berkeley film. ...
W5182
29.09.2012
Stuttgarts Crocodile - Adi Sumic
WWW
New extraordinary pattern design for brand new Porsche Cayman car. See PDF ...
New extraordinary pattern design for brand new Porsche Cayman car. See PDF ...