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.

119. PROJET DE DESTRUCTION DU MUSEE 1970 - 1971 - Jef Geys

Billboard - Jimmie Durham

La Guerra De Los Simbolos - Victor Grippo

Unrealized Turtles 1967 - Joseph Grigely

Uncompleted 1966 - and on  - John Armleder

Unrealized Projects - Jonas Meckas

The World is a Theater and we each have a role - Louise Bourgeois

Passage - Richard Wentworth

Nicht realisierte Projekte - Stefan Demary

Placid Earth: A Project for the Meeting of Millennia - Cai Guo Quiang

Agency of Unrealised Projects
Logo by Liam Gillick
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Date
Title
Source
Description
Tags
W4482
25.05.2011
Frontispiece  - Paul Landon
WWW
Frontispiece An unrealised project by Paul Landon On 1 August 1953, under Reorganization Plan No. 8, the United States Information Agency (USIA) was created as an independent organization within the Executive Branch responsible for the U.S. governmentʼ ...
Frontispiece An unrealised project by Paul Landon On 1 August 1953, under Reorganization Plan No. 8, the United States Information Agency (USIA) was created as an independent organization within the Executive Branch responsible for the U.S. governmentʼ ...
W4611
25.05.2011
Prototype of an opportunistic monument or a monument on call - Sylvie Boisseau
WWW
Prototype of an opportunistic monument or a monument on call (in memory of the Stasi* victims) The monument consist of an orthogonal concrete block of 200 x 150 x 50 cm which is embedded under the ground, It should be erected at places where the orig ...
Prototype of an opportunistic monument or a monument on call (in memory of the Stasi* victims) The monument consist of an orthogonal concrete block of 200 x 150 x 50 cm which is embedded under the ground, It should be erected at places where the orig ...
W3481
11.05.2011
Experiments In Organza - Helen Maher
WWW
Press release. Helen maher. ‘Experiments In Organza’ Textile Sculptor, living & working in London. Current project, ‘Experiments in Organza’, investigates the interaction between Primary Elements- Solids, Liquids & Gases & Secondary Elem ...
Press release. Helen maher. ‘Experiments In Organza’ Textile Sculptor, living & working in London. Current project, ‘Experiments in Organza’, investigates the interaction between Primary Elements- Solids, Liquids & Gases & Secondary Elem ...
W4321
24.05.2011
This Never Happened - Vladimir Mitrev & Martina Baleva
WWW
This Never Happened Vladimir Mitrev & Martina Baleva Background of the project In 2007 an exhibition about the creation process of the painting “The Massacre of Batak” from 1892 by the Polish painter Antoni Piotrowski should have been shown ...
This Never Happened Vladimir Mitrev & Martina Baleva Background of the project In 2007 an exhibition about the creation process of the painting “The Massacre of Batak” from 1892 by the Polish painter Antoni Piotrowski should have been shown ...
W4345
24.05.2011
AGENCY FOR UNREALIZED PROJECTS - Paulo Luís Almeida
WWW
AGENCY FOR UNREALIZED PROJECTS Most part of my drawings are studies for non-performed actions. I began making them as previews for the documentation process, strategies of framing the sequences of small, often unnoticed, performances. Gradually, these ...
AGENCY FOR UNREALIZED PROJECTS Most part of my drawings are studies for non-performed actions. I began making them as previews for the documentation process, strategies of framing the sequences of small, often unnoticed, performances. Gradually, these ...
W10252
10.04.2014
Contact - Bastiaan Arler
WWW
In the summer of 1975 a fresh wind blew over the world. At a distance of 225 km, in orbit around the Earth, the USA and the USSR made contact as two spacecraft docked together in a sign of peace. In an instant it lightened the spirit of all of those caugh ...
In the summer of 1975 a fresh wind blew over the world. At a distance of 225 km, in orbit around the Earth, the USA and the USSR made contact as two spacecraft docked together in a sign of peace. In an instant it lightened the spirit of all of those caugh ...
W4437
25.05.2011
)SBP(  - anna ferraro
WWW
)SBP( Spazio di Baratto Permanente Lo Spazio di Baratto Permanente (SBP) è un’ipotesi di lavoro per la città di Bologna e per i suoi abitanti. Lo scorcio che si apre al mio sguardo è quello di una città caratterizzata dal “non più”. Ovvero ...
)SBP( Spazio di Baratto Permanente Lo Spazio di Baratto Permanente (SBP) è un’ipotesi di lavoro per la città di Bologna e per i suoi abitanti. Lo scorcio che si apre al mio sguardo è quello di una città caratterizzata dal “non più”. Ovvero ...
W4055
23.05.2011
“Illum” Proposal - Kat Kohl
WWW
Through my work, I explore the concept of how external surroundings impact the “internal” experience of the individual and how dimensional transformation alters the function of a form. I utilize the duality of material surfaces to create undulating pl ...
Through my work, I explore the concept of how external surroundings impact the “internal” experience of the individual and how dimensional transformation alters the function of a form. I utilize the duality of material surfaces to create undulating pl ...
W5904
18.10.2013
Watertower Geldern (Germany) - Matthijs Muller
WWW
The idea was to give this former water tower a bright icecap on top, which would have changed its appearance dramatically, making it look more like an alp. Bringing the water, which used to be stored inside the tower, to the outside, illustrates its (form ...
The idea was to give this former water tower a bright icecap on top, which would have changed its appearance dramatically, making it look more like an alp. Bringing the water, which used to be stored inside the tower, to the outside, illustrates its (form ...
W5457
20.10.2012
BUILDING DRAWING V: “LOST” (A Porcelain Landscape Room) - Ann Daly
WWW
Ann Daly adaly@aya.yale.edu BUILDING DRAWING V: “LOST” (A Porcelain Landscape Room) Part of a larger project "Looking for the Labyrinth: Re-collecting Versailles". Cast white porcelain, sculptural walls, total size approximately 16 feet x 12 ...
Ann Daly adaly@aya.yale.edu BUILDING DRAWING V: “LOST” (A Porcelain Landscape Room) Part of a larger project "Looking for the Labyrinth: Re-collecting Versailles". Cast white porcelain, sculptural walls, total size approximately 16 feet x 12 ...
W5236
09.10.2012
Dislocations - Iain McPherson
WWW
Object: To create a system of signage which illustrates and informs city centre travellers. Areas are colour coded and image coded according to local history and culture. Works are wall mounted and 3 dimensional. Project could be self-funded by u ...
Object: To create a system of signage which illustrates and informs city centre travellers. Areas are colour coded and image coded according to local history and culture. Works are wall mounted and 3 dimensional. Project could be self-funded by u ...
W4197
24.05.2011
HOME–WORLD - Madeleine Preston & Silvija Lomanaite
WWW
HOME–WORLD, The Sustainable Debate – Project Space proposal Silvija Lomanaite – Interior Designer and Madeleine Preston – Artist We met while working at the Whitehouse Institute of Design and found a common interest in contemporary issues in a ...
HOME–WORLD, The Sustainable Debate – Project Space proposal Silvija Lomanaite – Interior Designer and Madeleine Preston – Artist We met while working at the Whitehouse Institute of Design and found a common interest in contemporary issues in a ...
U9253
01.01.1969
A FAIRLY TALL TOWER, 48,000 Miles High -  - Siah Armajani
Unbuilt Roads
Location: Outer Space Status: Theoretical study Proposal to build a self-supporting tower suspended in space but anchored at one point to the earth (U. S. ). All synchronous satellites of the earth are located at the synchronous altitude. This al ...
Location: Outer Space Status: Theoretical study Proposal to build a self-supporting tower suspended in space but anchored at one point to the earth (U. S. ). All synchronous satellites of the earth are located at the synchronous altitude. This al ...
U10002
01.01.1989
La Guerra De Los Simbolos - Victor Grippo
Unbuilt Roads
Una larga mesa, no necesariamente recta adaptada a las condiciones del espacio de exhibición, de 30 cm de ancho y longitud variable sobre la que estarà una larga "maqueta" construida con yeso blanco, de "paisa jes" urbanos conteniedo, edificios y simbol ...
Una larga mesa, no necesariamente recta adaptada a las condiciones del espacio de exhibición, de 30 cm de ancho y longitud variable sobre la que estarà una larga "maqueta" construida con yeso blanco, de "paisa jes" urbanos conteniedo, edificios y simbol ...
W5098
13.09.2012
we love live - Copa & Sordes
WWW
we love live an idea for an ornament in public space ...
we love live an idea for an ornament in public space ...
W3516
11.05.2011
Hugo Houayek
WWW
To build bridges supporting pillars are needed. To construct pillars art is necessary. Build permanent bridges with ephemeral colored pillars. ...
To build bridges supporting pillars are needed. To construct pillars art is necessary. Build permanent bridges with ephemeral colored pillars. ...
W4759
27.05.2011
One Thousand Worlds in 16 minutes and 40 seconds - Nuala Clarke
WWW
TITLE: One Thousand Worlds in 16 minutes and 40 seconds FORM: A video installation in which 10 screens of indeterminate size are arranged site specifically. Each screen shows, for one second at a time, one of 1000 small square paintings from the exist ...
TITLE: One Thousand Worlds in 16 minutes and 40 seconds FORM: A video installation in which 10 screens of indeterminate size are arranged site specifically. Each screen shows, for one second at a time, one of 1000 small square paintings from the exist ...
W4314
24.05.2011
Unfinished Projects - Catarina Alexandra Costa Cubelo Morais
WWW
Unfinished Projects This project is about sound and comunication It is also about the nervous consequences that came with the repetition of the same type of sound, which at first cause a strangeness and annoyance, and then the questioning of the phen ...
Unfinished Projects This project is about sound and comunication It is also about the nervous consequences that came with the repetition of the same type of sound, which at first cause a strangeness and annoyance, and then the questioning of the phen ...
W4897
11.08.2012
Au Fil des Pats - Mondele Limba Isaac
WWW
Exp. : Isaac MONDELE Tél. : +243 81 36 66 111 E-mail : mondeleisaac@yahoo.fr Objet : candidature A monsieur les jures Monsieur, Votre annonce parue sur le site d appel aux artiste pour un appel a candida ...
Exp. : Isaac MONDELE Tél. : +243 81 36 66 111 E-mail : mondeleisaac@yahoo.fr Objet : candidature A monsieur les jures Monsieur, Votre annonce parue sur le site d appel aux artiste pour un appel a candida ...
W4589
25.05.2011
Joseph Moore
WWW
I hear words, half spoken words, and weeping both melodious and in staccato. Hands clap to the rhythm of music. A young man runs laps around the perimeter of the church’s large nave. There is the sound of voices that approach language albeit an incompl ...
I hear words, half spoken words, and weeping both melodious and in staccato. Hands clap to the rhythm of music. A young man runs laps around the perimeter of the church’s large nave. There is the sound of voices that approach language albeit an incompl ...
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 ...
W4886
10.08.2012
Laissez-Passer - Ilana Salama Ortar
WWW
Laissez-Passer Introduction I was born in Alexandria. In the early 1950s my family was forced to leave Egypt with a one-way pass (laissez-passer). On the way to Israel we passed through Marseilles. Due to the circumstances, since post-war Marseilles ...
Laissez-Passer Introduction I was born in Alexandria. In the early 1950s my family was forced to leave Egypt with a one-way pass (laissez-passer). On the way to Israel we passed through Marseilles. Due to the circumstances, since post-war Marseilles ...
W4662
25.05.2011
The Wardenclyffe Gift  - Craig Leonard
WWW
The Wardenclyffe Gift Craig Leonard In November 2009, the bronze plaque donated by the Yugoslavian Government on July 10, 1976 for the commemoration of the Wardenclyffe communication tower, Nikola Tesla's last remaining laboratory building, was sto ...
The Wardenclyffe Gift Craig Leonard In November 2009, the bronze plaque donated by the Yugoslavian Government on July 10, 1976 for the commemoration of the Wardenclyffe communication tower, Nikola Tesla's last remaining laboratory building, was sto ...
W5280
15.10.2012
Hypermoi - David Guez
WWW
THE HYPERMOI David Guez http://www.guez.org Introduction The Hypermoi sets the hypothesis of the existence of a 'numerical ego' linked up to the internet network. This special ego would be a construction linked to our more and more 'emotional' and 'intens ...
THE HYPERMOI David Guez http://www.guez.org Introduction The Hypermoi sets the hypothesis of the existence of a 'numerical ego' linked up to the internet network. This special ego would be a construction linked to our more and more 'emotional' and 'intens ...
W4734
26.05.2011
Dead but not gone - Gaurav Dhwaj Khadka
WWW
Dead but not gone …. Dead but not gone is a project about the dead things that once was live and living in this world. This was unrealized photography project that, recently I found as going back to my photography archive from 2005 to 2011, I have take ...
Dead but not gone …. Dead but not gone is a project about the dead things that once was live and living in this world. This was unrealized photography project that, recently I found as going back to my photography archive from 2005 to 2011, I have take ...
W3606
13.05.2011
Recent Work Not Done - Buzz Spector
WWW
Date: 13 May 2011 To: The Agency of Unrealized Projects From: Buzz Spector RE: Recent Work Not Done My unrealized project is an artists’ book compilation of every artmaking idea or curatorial proposition I have had since 1972, but which ...
Date: 13 May 2011 To: The Agency of Unrealized Projects From: Buzz Spector RE: Recent Work Not Done My unrealized project is an artists’ book compilation of every artmaking idea or curatorial proposition I have had since 1972, but which ...