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.

Uncompleted 1966 - and on  - John Armleder

Entwurf für einen erneuerten Malkasten 1992 - 1994 - Ulrike Holthöfer

MAK - Wien  - Rosemarie Trockel

A FAIRLY TALL TOWER, 48,000 Miles High -  - Siah Armajani

Social Resource Project For the Munich Olympics - Stephen Willats

The lmprobable Flow - Larry Bell

Square Depression - Bruce Nauman

MODELL OF AN OFFICE FOR A COUPLE OF TWINS, BOTH 1,38 TALL" - Tobias Rehrenberg

"400" - Manfred Pernice

Projet pour la Place Saint Léger à Chambery  - Erik Dietman

Agency of Unrealised Projects
Logo by Liam Gillick
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Date
Title
Source
Description
Tags
W4506
25.05.2011
The Dead Brushes Society - Paulo Patrício
WWW
The Dead Brushes Society Unrealized project for an exhibition presenting old or/and unused brushes who belong to acclaimed contemporary artists. Brushes they love or with which they did major works (or at least, representative of they're career). That du ...
The Dead Brushes Society Unrealized project for an exhibition presenting old or/and unused brushes who belong to acclaimed contemporary artists. Brushes they love or with which they did major works (or at least, representative of they're career). That du ...
W4070
23.05.2011
Rebeka Bučinel
WWW
The leading idea is not to create only a new home for culture in Miren, but to create a multi-purpose central square. ...
The leading idea is not to create only a new home for culture in Miren, but to create a multi-purpose central square. ...
W3499
11.05.2011
Wind Chamber - Duarte da Encarnação
WWW
wind chamber This project consists of designing an “architectural sculpture” of an active capsule intended for temporary public interventions, pragmatic and strictly related to the development of the action and participation in the public sphere. T ...
wind chamber This project consists of designing an “architectural sculpture” of an active capsule intended for temporary public interventions, pragmatic and strictly related to the development of the action and participation in the public sphere. T ...
W4703
26.05.2011
Sterling Crispin
WWW
My project involves a globally connected network of participants wearing EEG brain-computer interfaces. By displaying the average of thousands of live readings back to the participants their minds will slowly become closer to the average. Emerging brai ...
My project involves a globally connected network of participants wearing EEG brain-computer interfaces. By displaying the average of thousands of live readings back to the participants their minds will slowly become closer to the average. Emerging brai ...
W4556
25.05.2011
23 Kilograms - Corina Ilea
WWW
23 Kilograms My project starts from the idea of remembering through photography within the immigrant community. Its objective is to bring to light the intimate relationship that the immigrants preserve with their native land through the photographs the ...
23 Kilograms My project starts from the idea of remembering through photography within the immigrant community. Its objective is to bring to light the intimate relationship that the immigrants preserve with their native land through the photographs the ...
W5381
19.10.2012
Two projects for the World Government Building  - Samuil Stoyanov
WWW
Two projects for the World Government Building by Samuil Stoyanov – visual artist These are two of three objects which I made 2009 – 2010, as a metaphoric, utopian projects for the future building of the World Government Office. This institu ...
Two projects for the World Government Building by Samuil Stoyanov – visual artist These are two of three objects which I made 2009 – 2010, as a metaphoric, utopian projects for the future building of the World Government Office. This institu ...
W3494
11.05.2011
The New And The Always Same: Toward New Geographies of Habit - Elvia Pyburn-Wilk
WWW
The New And The Always Same: Toward New Geographies of Habit “The street signs for our event are all hand-written. The directions are painted over signs from past events. These handwritten signs are like the bus line that no longer runs.”1 --Phili ...
The New And The Always Same: Toward New Geographies of Habit “The street signs for our event are all hand-written. The directions are painted over signs from past events. These handwritten signs are like the bus line that no longer runs.”1 --Phili ...
W5774
03.07.2013
TWEETSCULPTURE: “WE TWEET SCULPTURES” - Tweetsculpture
WWW
https://twitter.com/tweetsculpture In 1969, Douglas Huebler wrote “The world is full of objects, more or less interesting, I do not wish to add any more.” Since early january 2012 five writers / artists (between the ages of 24 and 60) create s ...
https://twitter.com/tweetsculpture In 1969, Douglas Huebler wrote “The world is full of objects, more or less interesting, I do not wish to add any more.” Since early january 2012 five writers / artists (between the ages of 24 and 60) create s ...
W4053
22.05.2011
Project: (where nothing ever happens) - leo Morrissey
WWW
A mobile fundamentalist billboards advertises the “judgment day” May 21, 2011…when the chosen will be taken up to “heaven”…sinners not going to heaven will be left behind on earth. As a none believer I have always professed that no “god” ...
A mobile fundamentalist billboards advertises the “judgment day” May 21, 2011…when the chosen will be taken up to “heaven”…sinners not going to heaven will be left behind on earth. As a none believer I have always professed that no “god” ...
W5184
30.09.2012
Relative Music - Augustin Maurs
WWW
RELATIVE MUSIC An unrealized economy, by Augustin Maurs À propos unrealized projects, it could be amusing to consider that, in the perspective of Albert Einstein's theory of relativity, almost the totality of the music written in the western cultures f ...
RELATIVE MUSIC An unrealized economy, by Augustin Maurs À propos unrealized projects, it could be amusing to consider that, in the perspective of Albert Einstein's theory of relativity, almost the totality of the music written in the western cultures f ...
W4471
25.05.2011
Marco Montiel-Soto
WWW
Berlín no está en la orilla del mar, esta enredada entre los canales del río Spree y de numerosos lagos a los alrededores, una superficie en movimiento perfecta para un nuevo proyecto de vivienda, un modelo de planificación urbana que sirve para los r ...
Berlín no está en la orilla del mar, esta enredada entre los canales del río Spree y de numerosos lagos a los alrededores, una superficie en movimiento perfecta para un nuevo proyecto de vivienda, un modelo de planificación urbana que sirve para los r ...
W4954
20.08.2012
Urban scape sketch - Marta Fuster Barutell
WWW
Urban scape sketch by Marta Fuster Barutell Site-specific installation composed of a variable amount of boxes. Each box is fabricated with welded 100mm square tube steel to the scale of one cubic metre per box. Opposing faces of the cube should ha ...
Urban scape sketch by Marta Fuster Barutell Site-specific installation composed of a variable amount of boxes. Each box is fabricated with welded 100mm square tube steel to the scale of one cubic metre per box. Opposing faces of the cube should ha ...
W10725
25.09.2014
free night - xiaoyun mao
WWW
The infrastructure space is the node of moving path. It functions to connect different places and keep people moving tot her their destination. Within the density of the city, the infrastructure is unavoidably packed of people. The individual can't stop o ...
The infrastructure space is the node of moving path. It functions to connect different places and keep people moving tot her their destination. Within the density of the city, the infrastructure is unavoidably packed of people. The individual can't stop o ...
W4034
22.05.2011
Juarez's Feet - Renato Garza Cervera
WWW
"Juarez's Feet" is a work in process which pretends to build someday in India a monument that will work as the extension of the monument dedicated to Benito Juarez in Mexico's capital city. Mexico and India are antipodal territories in the northern hem ...
"Juarez's Feet" is a work in process which pretends to build someday in India a monument that will work as the extension of the monument dedicated to Benito Juarez in Mexico's capital city. Mexico and India are antipodal territories in the northern hem ...
W3866
19.05.2011
LABOR OF OTHERS - Donald Shambroom
WWW
The Labor of Others' is a sculptural project that places itself in the whirlpool of intellectual property rights questions. In this series the acts of conceiving and fabricating the work of art are removed from me, the artist. I have utilized, or stole ...
The Labor of Others' is a sculptural project that places itself in the whirlpool of intellectual property rights questions. In this series the acts of conceiving and fabricating the work of art are removed from me, the artist. I have utilized, or stole ...
W4654
25.05.2011
City of Revolutions - Stefanos Tsivopoulos
WWW
City of Revolutions An unrealized project by Stefanos Tsivopoulos "Whoever could be in charge of the public sphere of Tehran was in charge of the country. The contest over, and the domination of, the public spaces of the city was the embodiment of the ...
City of Revolutions An unrealized project by Stefanos Tsivopoulos "Whoever could be in charge of the public sphere of Tehran was in charge of the country. The contest over, and the domination of, the public spaces of the city was the embodiment of the ...
W4835
08.08.2012
Zipper Chairs - Tricia McLaughlin
WWW
ZIPPER CHAIRS With Zipper Chairs , I am playing with the interaction of natural design and human logic. The structures we live in, whether natural, invented, physical or cultural, all affect our behavior. The idea for Zipper Chairs came from my fascina ...
ZIPPER CHAIRS With Zipper Chairs , I am playing with the interaction of natural design and human logic. The structures we live in, whether natural, invented, physical or cultural, all affect our behavior. The idea for Zipper Chairs came from my fascina ...
W10296
01.01.2010
Industrial Park - Héctor Zamora
WWW
Industrial Park was proposed for 'Touched' the 6th Liverpool Biennial, 2010 Proposed to take place in the Liverpool docks area where new developments are replacing the old port and industry buildings, it is a large scale permanent intervention based on ...
Industrial Park was proposed for 'Touched' the 6th Liverpool Biennial, 2010 Proposed to take place in the Liverpool docks area where new developments are replacing the old port and industry buildings, it is a large scale permanent intervention based on ...
W4585
25.05.2011
land in sight! / land? - Ulrich Ludat
WWW
land in sight! / land? [2011#02] Multimedia-based installation / performance Project description In a container1, of which the doors are opened at an angle of ca. 45°, there are 13 vacuum cleaners2. At the end of the container there is a projection scr ...
land in sight! / land? [2011#02] Multimedia-based installation / performance Project description In a container1, of which the doors are opened at an angle of ca. 45°, there are 13 vacuum cleaners2. At the end of the container there is a projection scr ...
W10705
30.08.2014
space-in-between  - Ya-Wen Fu
WWW
I seek to discuss the issues about the definition of human body and the relationship between individual body and external surroundings in my artworks. As Maurice Merleau-Ponty describes: ”The human body inhabits in space; moreover, it itself is an expr ...
I seek to discuss the issues about the definition of human body and the relationship between individual body and external surroundings in my artworks. As Maurice Merleau-Ponty describes: ”The human body inhabits in space; moreover, it itself is an expr ...
W4342
24.05.2011
The First Piece of Art for/from the Moon, 1970 - 1972 - Kocot and Hatton
WWW
project one - The First Piece of Art for/from the Moon, 1970 - 1972 Our project, The First Piece of Art for/from the Moon, a three-venue exhibition, required cooperation between three major US museums. Each museum would display simultaneously an eight ...
project one - The First Piece of Art for/from the Moon, 1970 - 1972 Our project, The First Piece of Art for/from the Moon, a three-venue exhibition, required cooperation between three major US museums. Each museum would display simultaneously an eight ...
U9759
06.04.1997
Monument to Democracy - Kounellis
Unbuilt Roads
La scultura doveva essere posata davanti alla nuova ala del parlamento olandese di Den Haag. Sono partito dalla struttura ampia, di grande presenza, degll fumaioli che si vedevano sui tetto del vecchio parlamento. Questa strutture architectonica era diven ...
La scultura doveva essere posata davanti alla nuova ala del parlamento olandese di Den Haag. Sono partito dalla struttura ampia, di grande presenza, degll fumaioli che si vedevano sui tetto del vecchio parlamento. Questa strutture architectonica era diven ...
W5399
20.10.2012
Matters of Appearance
WWW
About us: We are Matters Of Appearance, an artist group (USA/Germany). We work with language, text and performance. www.mattersofappearance.com This project (unrealized): We found this graffiti on a barn wall somewhere: "Selbst schuld" (It's ...
About us: We are Matters Of Appearance, an artist group (USA/Germany). We work with language, text and performance. www.mattersofappearance.com This project (unrealized): We found this graffiti on a barn wall somewhere: "Selbst schuld" (It's ...
W4135
23.05.2011
Naama Tsabar
WWW
Originaly Proposed b y Naama Tsabar for Emdash Award, Frieze art fair. This project will begin with a silent video-clip that will be sent to a musician. The video itself will be my visual reaction/interpretation to the musicians music, and will serve ...
Originaly Proposed b y Naama Tsabar for Emdash Award, Frieze art fair. This project will begin with a silent video-clip that will be sent to a musician. The video itself will be my visual reaction/interpretation to the musicians music, and will serve ...
W4982
27.08.2012
Brian Castellani
WWW
In addition to its pure genius, Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel is remarkable because it represents, in art history, the rare opportunity for an artist to present to the world a rather complete visual cosmology—something even Michelangelo, due to poli ...
In addition to its pure genius, Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel is remarkable because it represents, in art history, the rare opportunity for an artist to present to the world a rather complete visual cosmology—something even Michelangelo, due to poli ...
W4390
25.05.2011
Isabelle Desjeux
WWW
The project was to collect failed projects from scientists. It consisted of me interviewing scientists about anything that hadn't worked or couldn't get published, couldn't get used... I thought I would make a book from each of the scientists' story... ...
The project was to collect failed projects from scientists. It consisted of me interviewing scientists about anything that hadn't worked or couldn't get published, couldn't get used... I thought I would make a book from each of the scientists' story... ...