Agency of Unrealised Projects
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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.

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

CIVITAS Stadtpostkarten - Lothar Baumgarten

Why New Worlds Conceived by Artists Do Not Get Built - Peter Fend

Project 1 + Project 2 - Simryn Gill

den anonymen Tod ausstellen - Gregor Schneider

Unrealized Projects - Jonas Meckas

Project for the Initiative Mahnmal Homosexuellenverfolgung, Frankfurt  - Jeff Wall

KEEPING IN TOUCH - Allan Kaprow

Theater der Leere - Werner Ruhnau and Yves Klein

Unrealized project for Tate Gallery + ICA, 1969 - Gilbert and George

Agency of Unrealised Projects
Logo by Liam Gillick
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Date
Title
Source
Description
Tags
W3587
13.05.2011
Christopher Otto
WWW
In 2001, when I was 23, I attempted to make a computer art program which would dial each entry in Wittgenstein's Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus as a phone number and speak the line to whomever picked up. I was accepted to present it at a few events, but w ...
In 2001, when I was 23, I attempted to make a computer art program which would dial each entry in Wittgenstein's Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus as a phone number and speak the line to whomever picked up. I was accepted to present it at a few events, but w ...
W3508
11.05.2011
Karin Schaefer
WWW
Attached are images of a model for a large scale public work that has not been realized. The making of this work started a few weeks after 911 as I needed to find a way to process and work with the reality of the event. Models have been exhibited in vari ...
Attached are images of a model for a large scale public work that has not been realized. The making of this work started a few weeks after 911 as I needed to find a way to process and work with the reality of the event. Models have been exhibited in vari ...
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W4267
24.05.2011
“Truth Highway” - Jiivanii RedMarks
WWW
“Truth Highway” The Abstract Artist: Jiivanii RedMarks © 2007 Location: Jamaica “Truth Highway” is an Outdoor Sculpture represented by a transparent glass stairway, standing at about twenty-five meters off the ground or infinity. This escalato ...
“Truth Highway” The Abstract Artist: Jiivanii RedMarks © 2007 Location: Jamaica “Truth Highway” is an Outdoor Sculpture represented by a transparent glass stairway, standing at about twenty-five meters off the ground or infinity. This escalato ...
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W5491
26.10.2012
AUDIOLABIA - Karen Hibbard
WWW
Arist Book Proposal by Karen Hibbard, Women’s Studio Workshop, 2011. The title merges the words ‘audio’ and ‘labia’. Audio is any refers to any representation of sound. Labium (plural labia) is a Latin‐derived term meaning "Lip".The labia are ...
Arist Book Proposal by Karen Hibbard, Women’s Studio Workshop, 2011. The title merges the words ‘audio’ and ‘labia’. Audio is any refers to any representation of sound. Labium (plural labia) is a Latin‐derived term meaning "Lip".The labia are ...
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W4232
24.05.2011
Framing al-Zarqawi - Nicholas Knight
WWW
Nicholas Knight Framing al-Zarqawi, 2006 Mixed media installation, including framed photographs, podium, US and Iraqi flags, rugs, easels, curtain, furniture, etc. Size determined by installation [never realized] In June 2006, US-led forces in Ir ...
Nicholas Knight Framing al-Zarqawi, 2006 Mixed media installation, including framed photographs, podium, US and Iraqi flags, rugs, easels, curtain, furniture, etc. Size determined by installation [never realized] In June 2006, US-led forces in Ir ...
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U9742
26.03.1997
Theater der Leere - Werner Ruhnau and Yves Klein
Unbuilt Roads
Sehr geehrte Frau Sabolewski, auf Veranlassung von Herrn Obrist übersende ich Ihnen anbei die Kataloge " Yves Klein/Werner Ruhnau" und "Baukunst" . Dort finden Sie Zeichnungen, Modellfotos etc. , die Sie gern verwenden können. Das "Feuer-Wasser-Lu ...
Sehr geehrte Frau Sabolewski, auf Veranlassung von Herrn Obrist übersende ich Ihnen anbei die Kataloge " Yves Klein/Werner Ruhnau" und "Baukunst" . Dort finden Sie Zeichnungen, Modellfotos etc. , die Sie gern verwenden können. Das "Feuer-Wasser-Lu ...
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W3907
20.05.2011
Alan Yates
WWW
As Contemporary art exhibitions develop towards a multiplicity of practises and genres, many are being used for urban regeneration and environmental projects. In this new landscape I wish to lead on initiatives to re-shape the urban landscape to incorpora ...
As Contemporary art exhibitions develop towards a multiplicity of practises and genres, many are being used for urban regeneration and environmental projects. In this new landscape I wish to lead on initiatives to re-shape the urban landscape to incorpora ...
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W4881
09.08.2012
Re:Structure - David Goodman / Jay Paavonpera
WWW
Re:Structure encourages investigation of imagery dismantled from architectonic relationships and urban structures. for this exhibition, we propose to create a unique multi-dimensional experience that acts to facilitate a principled understanding of our im ...
Re:Structure encourages investigation of imagery dismantled from architectonic relationships and urban structures. for this exhibition, we propose to create a unique multi-dimensional experience that acts to facilitate a principled understanding of our im ...
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W4828
07.08.2012
Anne Among the Living - Line Kallmayer
WWW
I intended to make a film, Anne Among The Living. I worked on it for a year and a half. We were very advanced in preproduction with many people involved, but the money could not be raised. The funders found it too experimental, too ambitious and risky. ...
I intended to make a film, Anne Among The Living. I worked on it for a year and a half. We were very advanced in preproduction with many people involved, but the money could not be raised. The funders found it too experimental, too ambitious and risky. ...
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W3926
20.05.2011
Denkzeichen Rosa Luxemburg - Oliver Ressler
WWW
My design for the competition “Denkzeichen Rosa Luxemburg” (Memory Marker Rosa Luxemburg; Berlin 2003) drew upon the Revolution Monument by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, which was commissioned in 1926 by the German Communist Party as the central memorial ...
My design for the competition “Denkzeichen Rosa Luxemburg” (Memory Marker Rosa Luxemburg; Berlin 2003) drew upon the Revolution Monument by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, which was commissioned in 1926 by the German Communist Party as the central memorial ...
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U9796
28.02.1995
Broadway Musicals - Christian Marclay
Unbuilt Roads
Proposal for a Times Square Business Improvement District Traffic Median Public Art Project Febuary 28th, 1995 Artist: Christian Marclay Title: Broadway Musicals Site: Traffic median between Broadway and Seventh Avenue, from 4 ...
Proposal for a Times Square Business Improvement District Traffic Median Public Art Project Febuary 28th, 1995 Artist: Christian Marclay Title: Broadway Musicals Site: Traffic median between Broadway and Seventh Avenue, from 4 ...
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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 ...
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W10481
28.04.2014
The Geese of Feliferhof - Esther Shalev-Gerz with Jochen Gerz
WWW
Graz, Austria In 1996, Esther Shalev-Gerz and Jochen Gerz won an international competition launched by the Austrian government to pay tribute to those who opposed the Nazi regime. The artists proposed installing four white flags carrying red inscriptio ...
Graz, Austria In 1996, Esther Shalev-Gerz and Jochen Gerz won an international competition launched by the Austrian government to pay tribute to those who opposed the Nazi regime. The artists proposed installing four white flags carrying red inscriptio ...
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W5430
20.10.2012
VICTIMS OF SYMMETRY - Marcin Chomicki
WWW
VICTIMS OF SYMMETRY New cities are not established any more. The only way to build an ideal city is to be radical in means. The idea of the project is to trace an axis of symmetry and pull down half of the city. A mirror reflection is constructed to co ...
VICTIMS OF SYMMETRY New cities are not established any more. The only way to build an ideal city is to be radical in means. The idea of the project is to trace an axis of symmetry and pull down half of the city. A mirror reflection is constructed to co ...
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W4331
24.05.2011
PROJECT FOR EXCHANGE RADICAL MOMENTS - Andrew Stooke
WWW
PROJECT FOR EXCHANGE RADICAL MOMENTS While small shops, owned by large organisations, are closed for modernisation the staff are invited to collectively participate in a free visit to the Library at Alexandria. The visit only takes place if all staff, ...
PROJECT FOR EXCHANGE RADICAL MOMENTS While small shops, owned by large organisations, are closed for modernisation the staff are invited to collectively participate in a free visit to the Library at Alexandria. The visit only takes place if all staff, ...
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W3877
19.05.2011
Sound Of Trains - Derek Michael Besant
WWW
sound of underground train from another city as audio integration downtown in Canadian city Client: City of Calgary Development Dept. / Canada Date: 2002 Audio art integration into minor city pedestrian sidewalk downtown Calgary Alberta Canada. T ...
sound of underground train from another city as audio integration downtown in Canadian city Client: City of Calgary Development Dept. / Canada Date: 2002 Audio art integration into minor city pedestrian sidewalk downtown Calgary Alberta Canada. T ...
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W5083
08.09.2012
Safety for 24 hours - tat ort (Alexandra Berlinger, Wolfgang Fiel)
WWW
Commissioned by curator Thomas Kaestle on behalf of the city of Hannover, the project - among others – was expected to invigorate the discourse on public art in general as well as to provide an example for the future development of public art initiative ...
Commissioned by curator Thomas Kaestle on behalf of the city of Hannover, the project - among others – was expected to invigorate the discourse on public art in general as well as to provide an example for the future development of public art initiative ...
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W3917
20.05.2011
Europe Park / sculpture and landscape - THEODOULOS Gregoriou
WWW
The proposal was prepared for the international sculpture and landscaping competition for the Europe Park, which the Municipality of Nicosia (Cyprus) held in 2006 for the design of a grove on a central road in Nicosia. The motive was the accession of Cypr ...
The proposal was prepared for the international sculpture and landscaping competition for the Europe Park, which the Municipality of Nicosia (Cyprus) held in 2006 for the design of a grove on a central road in Nicosia. The motive was the accession of Cypr ...
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W3647
15.05.2011
World Atlas - ANNA LASCARI
WWW
“World Atlas” is a visual depiction of worldwide hunger. It is a monument to all the people whose lives are in stake due to hunger, whether it is a child that dies every five seconds from hunger related causes, or those in the West who search dumpster ...
“World Atlas” is a visual depiction of worldwide hunger. It is a monument to all the people whose lives are in stake due to hunger, whether it is a child that dies every five seconds from hunger related causes, or those in the West who search dumpster ...
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W4701
26.05.2011
Transferable skills / Compétances transfèrables - Erin Fortier and Scott Soullière
WWW
Transferable skills | Compétances transfèrables A site-specific installation in Ford City, Windsor-Detroit in the aftermath of the North American automotive industry crash. Both Soullière and Fortier were born and raised in Windsor.... ...
Transferable skills | Compétances transfèrables A site-specific installation in Ford City, Windsor-Detroit in the aftermath of the North American automotive industry crash. Both Soullière and Fortier were born and raised in Windsor.... ...
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U9651
19.02.1997
Douglas Gordon - 5 year drive-by; proposal for a public artwork.
Unbuilt Roads
Originally presented at the Biennale de Lyon, 1995. The work is something of a companion piece to 24 Hour Psycho but it may, appear to be a little more extreme in some ways. I want to work with John Ford's film The Searchers which is, I think, the ar ...
Originally presented at the Biennale de Lyon, 1995. The work is something of a companion piece to 24 Hour Psycho but it may, appear to be a little more extreme in some ways. I want to work with John Ford's film The Searchers which is, I think, the ar ...
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W4526
25.05.2011
« game of survival in a cold store »  - Nathalie Talec
WWW
The « game of survival in a cold store » ( 1985 ) UNREALIZED PROJECT ARTIST’S STATEMENT I have always approached art as if it were an adventure story, adapting a screenplay, composing a score, or as the heroic experience of radical disobedience. ...
The « game of survival in a cold store » ( 1985 ) UNREALIZED PROJECT ARTIST’S STATEMENT I have always approached art as if it were an adventure story, adapting a screenplay, composing a score, or as the heroic experience of radical disobedience. ...
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W3830
19.05.2011
Michael Tsegaye
WWW
This images are of grave stones.In Ethiopia when a person dies the relatives places a photograph into the tomb stone and inscribes a short history of the deceased. Inspired by Ethiopian poet and painter Gebrekirstos Desta. ...
This images are of grave stones.In Ethiopia when a person dies the relatives places a photograph into the tomb stone and inscribes a short history of the deceased. Inspired by Ethiopian poet and painter Gebrekirstos Desta. ...
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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 ...
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D10803
09.09.2012
Untitled  - Theo Eshetu
DAAD
no description - ...
no description - ...
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W3865
19.05.2011
23rd Street Station MTA PROPOSAL 5-5-00 - Chris Twomey
WWW
The concept for this proposal evolved from my own experience riding the subway line last year when I had to travel with my infant. I would board the train at rush hour with her sleeping snugly positioned in my body. Then, I noticed the harried and tired ...
The concept for this proposal evolved from my own experience riding the subway line last year when I had to travel with my infant. I would board the train at rush hour with her sleeping snugly positioned in my body. Then, I noticed the harried and tired ...
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