Zum Beispiel Balthasar, 6 Jahre

Through the moving portrait of a child, Balthasar, the video For Example Balthasar, 6 Years Old (Zum Beispiel Balthasar, 6 Jahr) (1995) evokes the darkest chapter in German history. Hand in hand with a little girl and accompanied by two small dogs, Balthasar walks along a sunny country road. Their clothes and accessories—a wide-brimmed black hat and a small suitcase— suggest a long journey. Along the way, the two children stop to wipe each other‘s tears. They see a bird holding a prey in its talons—a sad omen of an inevitable tragedy. The film continues inside a church where Balthasar swings on a bell rope, pushed by the little girl, laughing. The bell tolls slowly and solemly as the scene jumps to a gymnasium: through laughter and play, the two children relive a happy memory, one of lost normality. The film stops on the image of a revolving merry-go-round that, seen from Balthasar’s perspective below, looking up, evokes the possibility of flight. While the sepia tint gives a retro effect, the use of slow motion—a frequent stylistic choice in Trockel‘s videos—and silence create suspense. Music by composer Christoph John, commissioned by the artist, intensifies the dramatic atmosphere.