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.

Prima del 73 - Fabio Mauri

Temple of the western buddha (1971 Kathmedu) - Herman de Vries

Messages to the Public - Nancy Spero

CIVITAS Stadtpostkarten - Lothar Baumgarten

Milan House (AC/DC & Joy Division) - Liam Gillick

<A Public Misery Message> - Critical Art Ensemble

Financial Times Millennium Bridge Competition - Richard Serra and Frank Gehry

KEEPING IN TOUCH - Allan Kaprow

PROPOSAL FOR SEATTLE ARTS COMMISSION, IN PUBLIC - Chris Burden

Merci, Thank you, Danke: Les 2 sujets  - Thomas Hirschorn

Agency of Unrealised Projects
Logo by Liam Gillick
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Date
Title
Source
Description
Tags
W4647
25.05.2011
Este No Es Refugio Para Jornaleros - Jenny Polak
WWW
Este No Es Refugio Para Jornaleros A 2008 proposal for Corona Plaza, Queens, by Jenny Polak Invited by the Queens Museum of Art. The 103 st. 7 station connects Corona to the train known by some as the Immigrant Express. I want to put a small camoufla ...
Este No Es Refugio Para Jornaleros A 2008 proposal for Corona Plaza, Queens, by Jenny Polak Invited by the Queens Museum of Art. The 103 st. 7 station connects Corona to the train known by some as the Immigrant Express. I want to put a small camoufla ...
W3505
11.05.2011
Wishing Way - Ian Amell
WWW
Huge wishbones, preferably made of translucent fibreglas with interior lighting or alternately of concrete. They would be large enough for people to walk under them easily. They would be constructed in multiples to create a passageway. Typically North ...
Huge wishbones, preferably made of translucent fibreglas with interior lighting or alternately of concrete. They would be large enough for people to walk under them easily. They would be constructed in multiples to create a passageway. Typically North ...
W4250
24.05.2011
sara stites
WWW
I started these continuous drawings on paper and would like to realize the flow of life's continuum that these represent in a space either outside or in with vast walls so that they could interact with the architecture to fulfill the concept of a never-e ...
I started these continuous drawings on paper and would like to realize the flow of life's continuum that these represent in a space either outside or in with vast walls so that they could interact with the architecture to fulfill the concept of a never-e ...
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 ...
W4223
24.05.2011
Ice Shells - Alex Hamilton
WWW
Ice Shells Casts made from Light racing boats (Shells), and boats made from ice cast. Using the facilities and personnel of the University College of London Boat Racing Club. The moulds will be Rtv silicon rubber. The shells, including oars and some w ...
Ice Shells Casts made from Light racing boats (Shells), and boats made from ice cast. Using the facilities and personnel of the University College of London Boat Racing Club. The moulds will be Rtv silicon rubber. The shells, including oars and some w ...
W4361
25.05.2011
Drapeaux : Symboles d’identité (Flags : Symbols of Identity) - Alfonso Arzapalo
WWW
Drapeaux : Symboles d’identité (Flags : Symbols of Identity) Flag No. 44 From the series: Flags The project was a proposal for the Manif d'Art 2008, in Quebec City whose theme was "la rencontre" (the get together) and was part of the 400 anniv ...
Drapeaux : Symboles d’identité (Flags : Symbols of Identity) Flag No. 44 From the series: Flags The project was a proposal for the Manif d'Art 2008, in Quebec City whose theme was "la rencontre" (the get together) and was part of the 400 anniv ...
W3911
20.05.2011
A proposal for PITT. (Did not happen) - Nicole Mortiboys
WWW
A proposal for PITT. (Did not happen) pittstudio@com. The proposal to Nathan Pitt of PITT, was to make up an inflatable copy of cartoon hand, (see image attached).To the same size as the gallery space. The hand would be placed in the gallery before b ...
A proposal for PITT. (Did not happen) pittstudio@com. The proposal to Nathan Pitt of PITT, was to make up an inflatable copy of cartoon hand, (see image attached).To the same size as the gallery space. The hand would be placed in the gallery before b ...
W3920
20.05.2011
Sameena Azam
WWW
The idealization of a perceived space is explored through the use of fluid materials. Materials of a liquid consistency have ‘no fixed shape and yield to external pressure’. The use of such materials has enabled for movement to be captured. ...
The idealization of a perceived space is explored through the use of fluid materials. Materials of a liquid consistency have ‘no fixed shape and yield to external pressure’. The use of such materials has enabled for movement to be captured. ...
W4030
22.05.2011
The Grand Tour - Holly Crawford
WWW
Preliminary Proposal The Grand Tour In the current global art market only the very wealthy and select and limited number of curators may participate fully. At the fairs there are VIP lounges were you may get a message, have a snack and a glass of ...
Preliminary Proposal The Grand Tour In the current global art market only the very wealthy and select and limited number of curators may participate fully. At the fairs there are VIP lounges were you may get a message, have a snack and a glass of ...
W4180
24.05.2011
Legge Lewis Legge, (LLL) - Legge Lewis Legge
WWW
Legge Lewis Legge, (LLL) is a public art and architecture studio based in New York and Texas operated by architect Murray Legge AIA and filmmaker Deborah E. Lewis, both in Austin, and artist Andrea Legge in New York City. Since 2001, LLL has produced a wi ...
Legge Lewis Legge, (LLL) is a public art and architecture studio based in New York and Texas operated by architect Murray Legge AIA and filmmaker Deborah E. Lewis, both in Austin, and artist Andrea Legge in New York City. Since 2001, LLL has produced a wi ...
W3783
18.05.2011
Eileen Neff
WWW
This work was originally submitted to 1.5 Million, a 2009 re-enactment of the Lucy Lippard's 1970 exhibition of the same name, when artists were invited to present ideas for work that could, but didn't necessarily exist. The work is an index size, 4"x6", ...
This work was originally submitted to 1.5 Million, a 2009 re-enactment of the Lucy Lippard's 1970 exhibition of the same name, when artists were invited to present ideas for work that could, but didn't necessarily exist. The work is an index size, 4"x6", ...
W5231
08.10.2012
Trespassing - Ole Brodersen
WWW
The series “Trespassing” explores encounters between human and nature. Human-made objects are placed into a landscape, where their interactions with the natural elements are recorded. The photographer harnesses the forces of wind, currents and wave ...
The series “Trespassing” explores encounters between human and nature. Human-made objects are placed into a landscape, where their interactions with the natural elements are recorded. The photographer harnesses the forces of wind, currents and wave ...
W4080
23.05.2011
Photorécepteurs - Kasia Ozga
WWW
Description du Projet – Photorécepteurs Pour le projet participatif, Photorécepteurs, je souhaite travailler sur des images en grand format des yeux des habitants de la Ville de _________. Un photorécepteur peut désigner un neurone sensoriel sens ...
Description du Projet – Photorécepteurs Pour le projet participatif, Photorécepteurs, je souhaite travailler sur des images en grand format des yeux des habitants de la Ville de _________. Un photorécepteur peut désigner un neurone sensoriel sens ...
W4606
25.05.2011
“LA MEMOIRE DU GESTE” - Maria Dundakova
WWW
MARIA DUNDAKOVA © PROJECT “LA MEMOIRE DU GESTE”- SOLSTICE Theme: Art and Environment. Landscape interacting between natural event and social event 1995 Luxembourg, European Capital of Culture, Valley of the Corn ...
MARIA DUNDAKOVA © PROJECT “LA MEMOIRE DU GESTE”- SOLSTICE Theme: Art and Environment. Landscape interacting between natural event and social event 1995 Luxembourg, European Capital of Culture, Valley of the Corn ...
W3529
11.05.2011
Babylon Dictionary – A spoken sounds Dictionary - Nitsan David Hamerman
WWW
Babylon Dictionary – A spoken sounds Dictionary The work “Babylon Dictionary” engages in locating areas of misunderstanding between languages. Not like any other dictionary, Babylon Dictionary mach between two (or more) different meaning of the s ...
Babylon Dictionary – A spoken sounds Dictionary The work “Babylon Dictionary” engages in locating areas of misunderstanding between languages. Not like any other dictionary, Babylon Dictionary mach between two (or more) different meaning of the s ...
W4595
25.05.2011
HOLY CORNERS - GABRIELLA DARIS
WWW
Gabriella Daris | HOLY CORNERS | 2010 The artist: The Lonoon based artist Gabriella Daris (Gabriella Tsavdaris) has built an art installation entitled, HOLY CORNERS, which Out Of The Box Intermedia has commissioned, and which is to be presented in the ...
Gabriella Daris | HOLY CORNERS | 2010 The artist: The Lonoon based artist Gabriella Daris (Gabriella Tsavdaris) has built an art installation entitled, HOLY CORNERS, which Out Of The Box Intermedia has commissioned, and which is to be presented in the ...
W4312
24.05.2011
Msquare4 - Andre Kodde
WWW
A call for unrealized projects Msquare4 You walk on an apparently miles long quay and all of a sudden a museum building arises. This time on poles over the water, but Msquare4 can be placed in every desired environment. Msquare4’s floor-plan is a gr ...
A call for unrealized projects Msquare4 You walk on an apparently miles long quay and all of a sudden a museum building arises. This time on poles over the water, but Msquare4 can be placed in every desired environment. Msquare4’s floor-plan is a gr ...
W5104
13.09.2012
LOST IN THE LIGHT | the FUTURE IS the PAST | simple TENSE - Barbara Fragogna
WWW
LOST IN THE LIGHT | the FUTURE IS the PAST | simple TENSE mixed media installation CONCEPT LOST IN A LIGHT-BOX We are used to be lost in the dark. The dark represents the subconscious, the death, the universe, the nothing, the danger and in general ...
LOST IN THE LIGHT | the FUTURE IS the PAST | simple TENSE mixed media installation CONCEPT LOST IN A LIGHT-BOX We are used to be lost in the dark. The dark represents the subconscious, the death, the universe, the nothing, the danger and in general ...
W4242
24.05.2011
HUMAN CONTACT EXERCISE #1 - Annabelle Craven-Jones
WWW
HUMAN CONTACT EXERCISE #1 Online digital text 2010 ongoing This project is an experiment exploring unknown limits. It exists as an online instruction in the minds of a potentially unlimited number of participants. Who they are and how they will ...
HUMAN CONTACT EXERCISE #1 Online digital text 2010 ongoing This project is an experiment exploring unknown limits. It exists as an online instruction in the minds of a potentially unlimited number of participants. Who they are and how they will ...
W5133
19.09.2012
Lost Heritage in Dark Museum  - Yochai Avrahami
WWW
Lost Heritage in Dark Museum - Yochai Avrahami The project suggests installation of few displays, that uses "left overs" of various practices of museology. these practices where inspired by research, observing, interviews and other methods in museums an ...
Lost Heritage in Dark Museum - Yochai Avrahami The project suggests installation of few displays, that uses "left overs" of various practices of museology. these practices where inspired by research, observing, interviews and other methods in museums an ...
W3713
17.05.2011
A passage, London 1999 (project, with Sergison Bates architects) - Mark Pimlott
WWW
Sutton-walk is a special place poised between two differently proposed versions or conceptions of London. One is chaotic, the other has an idea of itself as ideal, a fantasy about how London could be. Both are London, both are legitimate, both are produ ...
Sutton-walk is a special place poised between two differently proposed versions or conceptions of London. One is chaotic, the other has an idea of itself as ideal, a fantasy about how London could be. Both are London, both are legitimate, both are produ ...
W4018
22.05.2011
Ladder, 1991 - Mimmo Catania
WWW
Ladder, 1991: It was a project to be realized for Documenta IX. At Friediricianum a steel ladder as high as the building might have been installed during the exhibition as a simbol to reach the sky. ...
Ladder, 1991: It was a project to be realized for Documenta IX. At Friediricianum a steel ladder as high as the building might have been installed during the exhibition as a simbol to reach the sky. ...
W4572
25.05.2011
My Sunshine - Nikola Uzunovski
WWW
My Sunshine is a utopian project, suspended between art and science, visionary ideas and social issues, poetry and hyper - technology. Its aim is to produce a flying object that reflects sunlight to a specific area of Earth and appear as the Sun itself. ...
My Sunshine is a utopian project, suspended between art and science, visionary ideas and social issues, poetry and hyper - technology. Its aim is to produce a flying object that reflects sunlight to a specific area of Earth and appear as the Sun itself. ...
W4225
24.05.2011
Climbing the Devil's table / the Daredevil - Romain Sein
WWW
Climbing the Devil's table / the Daredevil (approximatively traduced from french) Climbing the Devil's table is an unrealized project but it's not unrealizable. «The Teufelstisch», the devil table, is a spectacular sandstone from the region of ...
Climbing the Devil's table / the Daredevil (approximatively traduced from french) Climbing the Devil's table is an unrealized project but it's not unrealizable. «The Teufelstisch», the devil table, is a spectacular sandstone from the region of ...
W5245
10.10.2012
No.2 - Jim Bay
WWW
No.2 Come on Jim, make it happen. Do it. Focus. You can do it. I know that what you do isn't easy, but you chose this path Jim and have been treading it a good many years now. This fear, is amateurish. Come on Jim, you have lived, loved and lost. You h ...
No.2 Come on Jim, make it happen. Do it. Focus. You can do it. I know that what you do isn't easy, but you chose this path Jim and have been treading it a good many years now. This fear, is amateurish. Come on Jim, you have lived, loved and lost. You h ...
W3581
13.05.2011
Nihal Yesil
WWW
Passage, 2008 Model for a architectural installation Construction: Simple reductive construction Walls: Black heavy rubber sheets suspended from simple linked frames Dimensions: Circa 280cm height x 450cm wide x 800cm + length variable depending on ...
Passage, 2008 Model for a architectural installation Construction: Simple reductive construction Walls: Black heavy rubber sheets suspended from simple linked frames Dimensions: Circa 280cm height x 450cm wide x 800cm + length variable depending on ...