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.

Right-of-Privacy Release - Tony Oursler

Financial Times Millennium Bridge Competition - Richard Serra and Frank Gehry

Chen H.V.O + G.T. - Bertrand Lavier

Engel-Detektor - Jakob Gautel & Jason Karaïndros

Museum - Katharina Fritsch

Progetto per Gerry Schum - Guiseppe Penone

Catwalk - Sylive Fleury

The pyramids...to be seen to be believed - Jonathan Monk

Project tor the Veterans Administration Hospital--Bay Pines, Florida. - Robert Morris

Uncompleted 1966 - and on  - John Armleder

Agency of Unrealised Projects
Logo by Liam Gillick
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Date
Title
Source
Description
Tags
W4260
24.05.2011
Kristin Jones / Andrew Ginzel
WWW
Proposal for the Walker Art Center Minneapolis 1987 ...
Proposal for the Walker Art Center Minneapolis 1987 ...
W5193
01.10.2012
becoming the mountain - Aerial Sparks
WWW
When I decided to become a professional artist in 2005 , I was switching from a career to my vocation , ignorant of how the art world works I concluded the best means of gaining interest and artistic notoriety quickly was to make a selection of large co ...
When I decided to become a professional artist in 2005 , I was switching from a career to my vocation , ignorant of how the art world works I concluded the best means of gaining interest and artistic notoriety quickly was to make a selection of large co ...
W5305
17.10.2012
Otherhedron - Lucy Pullen, Carolina Trigo
WWW
“Otherhedron is a trip. From pole to pole, the object moves around the world like a pebble rolling gently on the ground. Demarcating locations as nodes or points in the globe that, when joined, trace a plane much like one of the sides of Otherhedron." ...
“Otherhedron is a trip. From pole to pole, the object moves around the world like a pebble rolling gently on the ground. Demarcating locations as nodes or points in the globe that, when joined, trace a plane much like one of the sides of Otherhedron." ...
W4206
24.05.2011
AU Suivant - Piki en Liesbet Verschueren
WWW
Liesbet & Piki would like to propose some video installations which were never shown and/or not shown in a way they were intented to, namely in context of architectural spaces. Piki & Liesbets’ video projects start from the playful observation of lif ...
Liesbet & Piki would like to propose some video installations which were never shown and/or not shown in a way they were intented to, namely in context of architectural spaces. Piki & Liesbets’ video projects start from the playful observation of lif ...
W4237
24.05.2011
Susanna Byrne
WWW
People are incalculable, not perfect organisms. Systems and processes require the functioning of all the appropriate elements of a formula - remove, alter, adjust or replace any and the algorithm will malfunction. There is a vernacular of aesthetics emb ...
People are incalculable, not perfect organisms. Systems and processes require the functioning of all the appropriate elements of a formula - remove, alter, adjust or replace any and the algorithm will malfunction. There is a vernacular of aesthetics emb ...
W10685
01.01.1998
THE CLOUD ROOM - ADAM KALINOWSKI
WWW
Project for kinetic outdoor sculpture. Total dimensions: 1800x3500x3000cm. Dimensions of the orange structure: 500 x 720 x 540 cm. Model in 1:8 scale. Steel, aluminum, heavy fabric, aircraft cable, and propellers with reduction gears. Propellers are ...
Project for kinetic outdoor sculpture. Total dimensions: 1800x3500x3000cm. Dimensions of the orange structure: 500 x 720 x 540 cm. Model in 1:8 scale. Steel, aluminum, heavy fabric, aircraft cable, and propellers with reduction gears. Propellers are ...
U9843
01.01.1996
Aguapracasa - Gabriel Orozco
Unbuilt Roads
House with half sphere swimming pool in the center (eventually reasons why the work has not been realised) No Time Previous Publications (?) No Existing Documents (photos, drawings, models): Drawing Other remarks Designed after a v ...
House with half sphere swimming pool in the center (eventually reasons why the work has not been realised) No Time Previous Publications (?) No Existing Documents (photos, drawings, models): Drawing Other remarks Designed after a v ...
W4182
24.05.2011
“Disposable Mine Detector”  - Momoyo Torimitsu
WWW
“Disposable Mine Detector” EXPLORING HOW TO CREATE AN ECONOMIC EQUIVALENCE BETWEEN MANUFACTURING LAND MINES AND MANUFACTURING MINE DETECTORS When art projects take place in public, and involve society outside of the white cube, the final ar ...
“Disposable Mine Detector” EXPLORING HOW TO CREATE AN ECONOMIC EQUIVALENCE BETWEEN MANUFACTURING LAND MINES AND MANUFACTURING MINE DETECTORS When art projects take place in public, and involve society outside of the white cube, the final ar ...
W4480
25.05.2011
Laura Stein
WWW
I was working with a pyrotechnics specialist to develop shaped fire sculptures. We were working on building gas flame fueled armatures to define the form. AS the costs grew the project was put on the back burner after 6+ months of work and research! ...
I was working with a pyrotechnics specialist to develop shaped fire sculptures. We were working on building gas flame fueled armatures to define the form. AS the costs grew the project was put on the back burner after 6+ months of work and research! ...
W5410
20.10.2012
Things For An Urban Neighbourhood Cleansing (After Kinmont) - Ann Fuata
WWW
Things For An Urban Neighbourhood Cleansing (After Kinmont) is a series of 11 photographs of the artist holding a collection of domestic objects for an urban cleansing. These photographs were meant to become a unified image using a lenticular printing... ...
Things For An Urban Neighbourhood Cleansing (After Kinmont) is a series of 11 photographs of the artist holding a collection of domestic objects for an urban cleansing. These photographs were meant to become a unified image using a lenticular printing... ...
W4214
24.05.2011
Strayed in Schizophrenic Landscapes of a Celibate Machine - Atelier Uraiqat
WWW
Strayed in Schizophrenic Landscapes of a Celibate Machine Atelier Uraiqat Strayed in Schizophrenic Landscapes of a Celibate Machine is the manifestation of the struggle between the desiring individual and controlling society, where desire acts as the ...
Strayed in Schizophrenic Landscapes of a Celibate Machine Atelier Uraiqat Strayed in Schizophrenic Landscapes of a Celibate Machine is the manifestation of the struggle between the desiring individual and controlling society, where desire acts as the ...
W4015
22.05.2011
Helle Rask Crawford
WWW
Bronze Sculpture 80cm x 60cm x 70cm plus a base 100cm heigh. “Tormented” is a comment on the ongoing use of torture and violence, the innate aggresiveness in man. Also a tribute to the women and their children, who are often left with nothing in t ...
Bronze Sculpture 80cm x 60cm x 70cm plus a base 100cm heigh. “Tormented” is a comment on the ongoing use of torture and violence, the innate aggresiveness in man. Also a tribute to the women and their children, who are often left with nothing in t ...
W4234
24.05.2011
Elise Lammer
WWW
This work is an homage to the lost artwork by John Baldessari "Untitled (after Palm Tree (for Charlemagne)" 1975. This unrealized project aims to collect similar postcards as the ones displayed in Peter Kirby's documentary and recreate Baldessari's lost ...
This work is an homage to the lost artwork by John Baldessari "Untitled (after Palm Tree (for Charlemagne)" 1975. This unrealized project aims to collect similar postcards as the ones displayed in Peter Kirby's documentary and recreate Baldessari's lost ...
W5391
20.10.2012
PRESIDENT OBAMA SPEECH ON THE DEATH OF OSAMA BIN LADEN STRETCHED TO THE DURATION OF 3520 DAYS  - Moritz Fingerhut
WWW
Title: PRESIDENT OBAMA SPEECH ON THE DEATH OF OSAMA BIN LADEN STRETCHED TO THE DURATION OF 3520 DAYS (audio work) Description: The speech from President Obama, given on May 1st 2011 (see here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNYmK19‐d0U ) is 9:28 min ...
Title: PRESIDENT OBAMA SPEECH ON THE DEATH OF OSAMA BIN LADEN STRETCHED TO THE DURATION OF 3520 DAYS (audio work) Description: The speech from President Obama, given on May 1st 2011 (see here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNYmK19‐d0U ) is 9:28 min ...
W4318
24.05.2011
Taking the Call Center - Yumi Janairo Roth and Nadine Wasserman
WWW
Outsourcing is common in a global economy. It is often maligned for taking jobs away from American workers and is also a source of pop culture humor. For the people working in these jobs, however, it can mean the difference between staying home or leavin ...
Outsourcing is common in a global economy. It is often maligned for taking jobs away from American workers and is also a source of pop culture humor. For the people working in these jobs, however, it can mean the difference between staying home or leavin ...
W4235
24.05.2011
STRESS - Fred Perie
WWW
STRESS is fictitious industrial construction, whose only aim is to draw a perfectly straight red line that strikes through a wide landscape on the banks of Loire river estuary. It is drawn over 2 km between an oil refinery and some isolated grove, where i ...
STRESS is fictitious industrial construction, whose only aim is to draw a perfectly straight red line that strikes through a wide landscape on the banks of Loire river estuary. It is drawn over 2 km between an oil refinery and some isolated grove, where i ...
W4413
25.05.2011
Monuments to Real Life - Inga Burrows
WWW
Monuments to Real Life Monument 2. Twins Digital Video installation research phase began Autumn 2008 in Nuertingen Germany and was aborted in May 2009. Monument 2. ‘Twins’ is the unrealized sibling to Monument 1 ‘Well I Never…’ 2007(www.w ...
Monuments to Real Life Monument 2. Twins Digital Video installation research phase began Autumn 2008 in Nuertingen Germany and was aborted in May 2009. Monument 2. ‘Twins’ is the unrealized sibling to Monument 1 ‘Well I Never…’ 2007(www.w ...
W5128
18.09.2012
Berliner Bahnhöfer - Saana Inari
WWW
About the project called 'Berliner Bahnhöfer', in Berlin, 18.09.2012 Saana Inari info@saana-inari.net Moving to Berlin, it is almost impossible to ignore the history of the city. As I am interested on how cities are structured and how people move ...
About the project called 'Berliner Bahnhöfer', in Berlin, 18.09.2012 Saana Inari info@saana-inari.net Moving to Berlin, it is almost impossible to ignore the history of the city. As I am interested on how cities are structured and how people move ...
W4386
25.05.2011
MARTINEZ PETROPOULOS WHITE
WWW
THIS ISA NICE NEIGHBORHOOD - unrealized Moscone Center/Howard Street Project for a large scale urban public artwork selected thru competition by the Arts Commission of San Francisco. ...
THIS ISA NICE NEIGHBORHOOD - unrealized Moscone Center/Howard Street Project for a large scale urban public artwork selected thru competition by the Arts Commission of San Francisco. ...
W10641
18.07.2014
The Last of All Maladies - Galería Perdida
WWW
We have produced a typeface (TrueType font) to redirect the character usage in language. Such as it is, each letter is supplanted by a non-sequitur phrase turning the original copy unintelligible, yet repositioned as concrete poetry. Thus, each piece of w ...
We have produced a typeface (TrueType font) to redirect the character usage in language. Such as it is, each letter is supplanted by a non-sequitur phrase turning the original copy unintelligible, yet repositioned as concrete poetry. Thus, each piece of w ...
W3761
18.05.2011
Den Estetiske Dimensjon / The Aesthetic Dimension - Isabela Grosseova and Jesper Alvaer
WWW
The Aesthetic Dimension Public art proposal for the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation - Oslo ...
The Aesthetic Dimension Public art proposal for the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation - Oslo ...
W3818
19.05.2011
Kelly Jazvac and Patrick Howlett
WWW
An abstract public sculpture that doubles as a large scale bike rack. Our proposal is for a large-scale, powder-coated steel sculpture to be installed in the outdoor sculpture garden at the SculptureCenter. The project will appear to be a prototypical ...
An abstract public sculpture that doubles as a large scale bike rack. Our proposal is for a large-scale, powder-coated steel sculpture to be installed in the outdoor sculpture garden at the SculptureCenter. The project will appear to be a prototypical ...
W3534
11.05.2011
Dah Di-dah-dah Dah-dah-dah, Di-dah-di-dit Dah-dah-dah Di-di-di-dah Dit Di-dah-dit Di-di-dit - Stephan Apicella-Hitchcock
WWW
Dah Di-dah-dah Dah-dah-dah, Di-dah-di-dit Dah-dah-dah Di-di-di-dah Dit Di-dah-dit Di-di-dit, 1985 (approx.) – 2011, h 20 cm x w 13 cm (h 8” x w 5”), 82 page pocket book, black and white text pages printed on 60-pound (90g/m2) cream-colored paper, 4- ...
Dah Di-dah-dah Dah-dah-dah, Di-dah-di-dit Dah-dah-dah Di-di-di-dah Dit Di-dah-dit Di-di-dit, 1985 (approx.) – 2011, h 20 cm x w 13 cm (h 8” x w 5”), 82 page pocket book, black and white text pages printed on 60-pound (90g/m2) cream-colored paper, 4- ...
W4768
29.05.2011
A Skin of Shadows - Daisuke Hiraiwa
WWW
On a sunny day, we can see the shadows of everything naturally. We know that real objects are positive things and the shadows of them are negative things. I want to consider the relationship between negative and positive. Shadows represent the existence ...
On a sunny day, we can see the shadows of everything naturally. We know that real objects are positive things and the shadows of them are negative things. I want to consider the relationship between negative and positive. Shadows represent the existence ...
W4289
24.05.2011
Mouse Trap - Carla Bengtson
WWW
Mouse Trap 9 days, 9 baits, 2010 Digital print with raisin, peanut butter, cranberry, peanut butter, cheese, and crackers in artist’s studio at Ucross Foundation, Wyoming ...
Mouse Trap 9 days, 9 baits, 2010 Digital print with raisin, peanut butter, cranberry, peanut butter, cheese, and crackers in artist’s studio at Ucross Foundation, Wyoming ...
W5347
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. ...