Brognon Rollin One Hour at a Time, 2026
2026
57.08 x 32.67 x 23.62 in
Unique piece
Coin pusher programmed to run on a 1-hour cycle.
Contains second-hand sobriety tokens representing a total of 860 years, 148 months,
180 days and 145 hours.
FINALIST FOR THE PRIX MARCEL DUCHAMP 2026 - EXHIBITION PROPOSAL
“Drawing on real-life situations—which are often complex—we aim to give substance to the experience of time and duration.
Focusing on the margins rather than the center, we are interested in the blurred interstices where society confines those it marginalizes or renders invisible.
Our world is the periphery, that space-time we don't want to see.
Our proposal for the Prix Marcel Duchamp 2026 focuses on the experience of time through real-life situations of dependency and addiction.
While in 2011 we focused on the lines of destiny of drug addicts who frequented a shoot-up room in Luxembourg on a daily basis, in 2026 our attention turns to people seeking to end various addictions and to become and remain abstinent.
The Tokens
For several years now, we have been collecting old sobriety tokens from various discussion groups and mental health self-help and support groups. Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) tokens are the best known, as they were first used by members of that group in 1935.
Since then, many groups have adopted this practice to support people on their way to sobriety or abstinence—from drugs, gambling, sex, food, and more—and to symbolically mark the passage of time, much like a medal awarded to those who have maintained sobriety for a certain period.
On each anniversary, a sobriety token is presented, representing the duration—in hours, days, months, years, or decades—of abstinence. Each token bears a single inscription: “One day at a time,” a reminder that it takes only one day to relapse and undo all the progress made toward recovery.
The Coin Pushers
The Coin Pusher is a popular carnival game. The rule is simple: collect coins by pushing them into a slot using other coins that the player has placed in the machine.
Four Coin Pushers, with their display cases lit from within, will be installed in a dark room. A pile of tokens will be inserted into each Coin Pusher. The mechanical arms will be reprogrammed to follow distinct rhythms and back-and-forth movements, animating each machine differently.
Every day, slowly but relentlessly and methodically, the arms will approach the anniversary-tokens—charged with courage, effort, joy, and frustration, collectively representing the passage of time spanning several decades, even centuries—without ever causing them to fall.”
Brognon Rollin
58.66 x 35.43 x 25.98 in ( 149 x 90 x 66,5 cm )
36.57 x 24.69 in ( 92.9 x 62.7 cm )
36.57 x 24.69 in ( 92.9 x 62.7 cm )
36.57 x 24.69 in ( 92.9 x 62.7 cm )
36.57 x 24.69 in ( 92.9 x 62.7 cm )
36.57 x 24.69 in ( 92.9 x 62.7 cm )
36.57 x 24.69 in ( 92.9 x 62.7 cm )
36.57 x 24.69 in ( 92.9 x 62.7 cm )
36.57 x 24.69 in ( 92.9 x 62.7 cm )
36.57 x 24.69 in ( 92.9 x 62.7 cm )
36.57 x 24.69 in ( 92.9 x 62.7 cm )
15.75 x 11.81 in ( 40,5 x 30,5 cm )
each 17.72 x 13.78 in
each 17.72 x 13.78 in
each 17.72 x 13.78 in
each 17.72 x 13.78 in
![Brognon Rollin - Tell the Dogs [Art Basel Paris]](/cspdocs/artwork/images/_brognon_rollin_tell_the_dogs_art_basel_paris_1_michele_didier_578.jpg)
![Brognon Rollin - Tell the Dogs [Art Basel Paris]](/cspdocs/artwork/portfolio/brognon_rollin_michele_didier_578_1.jpg)
![Brognon Rollin - Tell the Dogs [Art Basel Paris]](/cspdocs/artwork/portfolio/brognon_rollin_michele_didier_578_2.jpg)
![Brognon Rollin - Tell the Dogs [Art Basel Paris]](/cspdocs/artwork/portfolio/brognon_rollin_michele_didier_578_3.jpg)
![Brognon Rollin - Tell the Dogs [Art Basel Paris]](/cspdocs/artwork/portfolio/brognon_rollin_michele_didier_578_4.jpg)
![Brognon Rollin - Tell the Dogs [Art Basel Paris]](/cspdocs/artwork/portfolio/brognon_rollin_michele_didier_578_5.jpg)
![Brognon Rollin - Tell the Dogs [Art Basel Paris]](/cspdocs/artwork/portfolio/brognon_rollin_michele_didier_578_6.jpg)
![Brognon Rollin - Tell the Dogs [Art Basel Paris]](/cspdocs/artwork/portfolio/brognon_rollin_michele_didier_578_7.jpg)
![Brognon Rollin - Tell the Dogs [Art Basel Paris]](/cspdocs/artwork/portfolio/brognon_rollin_michele_didier_578_8.jpg)
9.45 x 7.09 in ( 24 x 18 cm )
