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

The Clock - Ayse Erkmen

Unrealized Turtles 1967 - Joseph Grigely

City Hall Tower Night Ilumination - Krysztof Wodiczko

Nicht realisierte Projekte - Stefan Demary

Theater der Leere - Werner Ruhnau and Yves Klein

Square Depression - Bruce Nauman

2 Architecture Towers - Robert Irwin

La Guerra De Los Simbolos - Victor Grippo

Relatum (Iron Plate and Stone) - Lee Ufan

Agency of Unrealised Projects
Logo by Liam Gillick
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Date
Title
Source
Description
Tags
W5122
18.09.2012
Humans Make Mountains - Stefano
WWW
my project is paint a series of works witch explore the relationship between humans and landscapes. All info on my pdf catalouge ...
my project is paint a series of works witch explore the relationship between humans and landscapes. All info on my pdf catalouge ...
W4150
23.05.2011
Painting as a Pastime 2001  - Cornford & Cross
WWW
Painting as a Pastime 2001 Brett Prestidge Compton Verney, Oxfordshire, England (2000) Courtesy of Stanton Williams Architects We were invited to submit a proposal for Compton Verney, Oxfordshire, England. Our proposal was to offer a single first priz ...
Painting as a Pastime 2001 Brett Prestidge Compton Verney, Oxfordshire, England (2000) Courtesy of Stanton Williams Architects We were invited to submit a proposal for Compton Verney, Oxfordshire, England. Our proposal was to offer a single first priz ...
W4989
28.08.2012
Food Sluice - Ulrike Möntmann
WWW
FOOD SLUICE The literal reference of the Food Sluice is to a way of channelling food. Following the principle of a sluice, the flow of food between two spaces is regulated, without there ever being a direct, open connection between these spaces. Un ...
FOOD SLUICE The literal reference of the Food Sluice is to a way of channelling food. Following the principle of a sluice, the flow of food between two spaces is regulated, without there ever being a direct, open connection between these spaces. Un ...
W4198
24.05.2011
"Erasing the borders" - Etta Säfve
WWW
Sketch for 8 mm film "Erasing the borders" man, smoke bombs, sea ...
Sketch for 8 mm film "Erasing the borders" man, smoke bombs, sea ...
W5132
19.09.2012
Leo Morrissey
WWW
Leo Morrissey 310 West 4th Street 1107 Winston Salem NC, 27101 USA 336-473 –3888 Leomorrissey58@hotmail.com Lmorrissey22@hotmail.com Project Concept – (Summary/Description ) Create a postcard in an edition of 8875 (representing the popula ...
Leo Morrissey 310 West 4th Street 1107 Winston Salem NC, 27101 USA 336-473 –3888 Leomorrissey58@hotmail.com Lmorrissey22@hotmail.com Project Concept – (Summary/Description ) Create a postcard in an edition of 8875 (representing the popula ...
W4166
24.05.2011
heaven and hell box - jonathan paul gillette
WWW
heaven and hell box the heaven and hell box is a three chamber room. the viewer enters the front space through a centered pvc curtain and then chooses to enter the right or left space via two side orientated pvc curtains. the left space is climate cont ...
heaven and hell box the heaven and hell box is a three chamber room. the viewer enters the front space through a centered pvc curtain and then chooses to enter the right or left space via two side orientated pvc curtains. the left space is climate cont ...
W5126
18.09.2012
Porn I (Zootropo - Juan Alvarez-Durán
WWW
Porn (Part One) ‐ Zoetrope Continually subvert the function of the machine Nan Yun Paik There is a natural sense of the world, but those ways that men have given their perceptions. Jean Mitry The dictionary defines zoetrope. (Zoo‐and gr. Τρόπος ...
Porn (Part One) ‐ Zoetrope Continually subvert the function of the machine Nan Yun Paik There is a natural sense of the world, but those ways that men have given their perceptions. Jean Mitry The dictionary defines zoetrope. (Zoo‐and gr. Τρόπος ...
W4472
25.05.2011
“Skagen” - Björn Drenkwitz
WWW
“Skagen” Starting point of my video "Skagen" is on one side the "economic colonialization“ of the sea and the attempt to tame and utilise this physical power. On the other side the very own power of the sea which catches up to us in the form of ...
“Skagen” Starting point of my video "Skagen" is on one side the "economic colonialization“ of the sea and the attempt to tame and utilise this physical power. On the other side the very own power of the sea which catches up to us in the form of ...
W3604
13.05.2011
Nereida Garcia Ferraz
WWW
After the ruins of sities devastated by natural disasters and war, I began working in my studio with materials, cardboard, wood, light, and discarted objects, making structures that bring to mind, buildings and ancient cities, wells and theaters, stairs ...
After the ruins of sities devastated by natural disasters and war, I began working in my studio with materials, cardboard, wood, light, and discarted objects, making structures that bring to mind, buildings and ancient cities, wells and theaters, stairs ...
W4806
07.08.2012
We Don't Even Know How to End This Misery - Kristin Tårnes
WWW
The text is the voiceover of a film I made about an unrealized collaborative project while I was an exchange student in Berlin in 2007. The two images are stills from the same film. Even though the original project was unrealized, a work about the unreali ...
The text is the voiceover of a film I made about an unrealized collaborative project while I was an exchange student in Berlin in 2007. The two images are stills from the same film. Even though the original project was unrealized, a work about the unreali ...
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 ...
W10273
10.04.2014
Monument to the Iraq War Dead - Scott Sorli
WWW
Conservative estimates are that over one hundred thousand men, women, and children died in the Iraq War. Weapons of mass destruction that were used as justification for this illegal war were launched by the Americans and the British forces themselves. The ...
Conservative estimates are that over one hundred thousand men, women, and children died in the Iraq War. Weapons of mass destruction that were used as justification for this illegal war were launched by the Americans and the British forces themselves. The ...
W3862
19.05.2011
WATER’, A Concept for Exhibition (to include the Site Specific Installation titled ‘Glint’)  - Kate Petley
WWW
Water: -As historical structure for migration, agriculture, and conflict -As political catalyst -Defining geography, location, and place or point of reference -As a poetic source for all kinds of inspiration -Mutable, shape-shifting substance that ca ...
Water: -As historical structure for migration, agriculture, and conflict -As political catalyst -Defining geography, location, and place or point of reference -As a poetic source for all kinds of inspiration -Mutable, shape-shifting substance that ca ...
W4541
25.05.2011
Project SUN RITE “BAPTISME”  - Maria Dundakova
WWW
Project SUN RITE “BAPTISME” The central theme of the Biennale Sao Paulo was “The Holistic Global Tendencies of Humankind at the End of the 20th Century”. Based on the personal invitation of the jury of the Biennale, I further developed the pro ...
Project SUN RITE “BAPTISME” The central theme of the Biennale Sao Paulo was “The Holistic Global Tendencies of Humankind at the End of the 20th Century”. Based on the personal invitation of the jury of the Biennale, I further developed the pro ...
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 ...
W3675
15.05.2011
OmniPhantasmic* - Neil Craver
WWW
OmniPhantasmic* *Omni-             1. A combining form denoting all, every, everywhere; as in omnipotent, all-powerful; omnipresent; omnivorous.  *Phantasmic-          1. Something apparently s ...
OmniPhantasmic* *Omni-             1. A combining form denoting all, every, everywhere; as in omnipotent, all-powerful; omnipresent; omnivorous.  *Phantasmic-          1. Something apparently s ...
W4033
22.05.2011
Paintings for Satellites/Chicago - Molly Dilworth
WWW
A project fully conceived but never manifest, 2010 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 agen ...
A project fully conceived but never manifest, 2010 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 agen ...
W3946
20.05.2011
Balancing Act - Tricia McLaughlin
WWW
This living space design is for two people trying to balance their lives together. Every movement in this precarious space shifts that balance. Fortunately the furniture is all hinged. Even when the floor is falling out from under you, the basic amenities ...
This living space design is for two people trying to balance their lives together. Every movement in this precarious space shifts that balance. Fortunately the furniture is all hinged. Even when the floor is falling out from under you, the basic amenities ...
W4363
25.05.2011
Brandon Walls Olsen
WWW
Passing by the neighboring quarters of a sightseeing tour business named “Incredible Adventures”, I found that the acronymous vinyl lettering had been scratched from their door’s signage. Not knowing why a company would make such a nonsensical alter ...
Passing by the neighboring quarters of a sightseeing tour business named “Incredible Adventures”, I found that the acronymous vinyl lettering had been scratched from their door’s signage. Not knowing why a company would make such a nonsensical alter ...
W5299
17.10.2012
Difficult Pony - Sue Palmer
WWW
Difficult Pony. In 2007, I began to make a project about horses and women, ponies and girls. I love what horses are - I've always been curious about this equine human relationship. So I started with the 1960s toy gymkhana I played with as a child, watchi ...
Difficult Pony. In 2007, I began to make a project about horses and women, ponies and girls. I love what horses are - I've always been curious about this equine human relationship. So I started with the 1960s toy gymkhana I played with as a child, watchi ...
W4227
24.05.2011
"5.9-by-8.5-inch Exhibition" - Toru Hayashi
WWW
"5.9-by-8.5-inch Exhibition" Selecting one of sketchbooks from my drawing project Equivocal Landscape* Publishing the same format (5.9 x 8.5 in. and 72 images of 144 pages) book as the sketchbook of Equivocal Landscape (at least 72 copies) ...
"5.9-by-8.5-inch Exhibition" Selecting one of sketchbooks from my drawing project Equivocal Landscape* Publishing the same format (5.9 x 8.5 in. and 72 images of 144 pages) book as the sketchbook of Equivocal Landscape (at least 72 copies) ...
W4630
25.05.2011
Newark Orphan Asylum - Ann LePore
WWW
Newark Orphan Asylum is a proposal for public art at NJIT Alumni Center at 323 Marlin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Newark. In conjunction with Do1thing.org, an organization for homeless youth, and/or Heart Gallery of New Jersey (heartgallerynj.org), an organiz ...
Newark Orphan Asylum is a proposal for public art at NJIT Alumni Center at 323 Marlin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Newark. In conjunction with Do1thing.org, an organization for homeless youth, and/or Heart Gallery of New Jersey (heartgallerynj.org), an organiz ...
W5035
31.08.2012
Firstandlast - Heikki Salo
WWW
Firstandlast was submitted to ISEA 04 in Helsinki. The installation consists of a series of artificial worlds, ranging from videoscapes to fully abstract spaces (e.g. from natural landscapes to fractal universes) that represent the development of a fic ...
Firstandlast was submitted to ISEA 04 in Helsinki. The installation consists of a series of artificial worlds, ranging from videoscapes to fully abstract spaces (e.g. from natural landscapes to fractal universes) that represent the development of a fic ...
W5353
19.10.2012
THE STORY OF THE WRONG PRAYER BOOK - Vera Gutkina
WWW
THE STORY OF THE WRONG PRAYER BOOK (frescoes at the Chirch of Holy Mary) Some twenty km north of Jerusalem a picturesque Arab town nestles in between the green Judea hills. It is called Abu Gosh after its founders the Abugosh family. They were Muslim. ...
THE STORY OF THE WRONG PRAYER BOOK (frescoes at the Chirch of Holy Mary) Some twenty km north of Jerusalem a picturesque Arab town nestles in between the green Judea hills. It is called Abu Gosh after its founders the Abugosh family. They were Muslim. ...
W5446
20.10.2012
Tree Friendly Tree House - Kim Zalatan
WWW
Tree Friendly Tree House is a non-invasive series of steps meant to be attached to a tree to simulate the experience of a tree house. It is an interactive piece meant to allow the view to experience nature in a way they may not have before. ...
Tree Friendly Tree House is a non-invasive series of steps meant to be attached to a tree to simulate the experience of a tree house. It is an interactive piece meant to allow the view to experience nature in a way they may not have before. ...
W10320
17.04.2014
TAU - Jugoslav Mitevski, Frances Scholz, Sarah Steiner
WWW
Request: A building conglomerate approached us* with the request to bring to life again a vacancy in a critically endangered street. Proposal: Inspired by Buckminster Fuller‘s ideas of provoking “change of directions” by creating a vacuum we pr ...
Request: A building conglomerate approached us* with the request to bring to life again a vacancy in a critically endangered street. Proposal: Inspired by Buckminster Fuller‘s ideas of provoking “change of directions” by creating a vacuum we pr ...