Playgroup is a Johannesburg-based multidisciplinary art collective whose main creative and theoretical interest is in the city space, with a particular focus on how it is experienced through sound. The group has three members: Jurgen Meekel, Jill Richards, and Barend Engelbrecht. Jurgen Meekel, a multi-disciplinary artist and lecturer at Wits University, explores various fields within filmmaking, with a particular interest in the intersection of visual art and sound art. Jill Richards is a classically trained pianist, free improviser, sound artist and inter-disciplinary collaborator. Barend Engelbrecht is an artist and researcher. His current research interest aims to provide an auditory perspective on the relationship between urban design and the cultural ecology of the city.
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BJ is a Johannesburg-based artist and researcher whose main creative and theoretical interest is in sound and its relationship to time and space, particularly within the dynamic urban environment. He completed my Bachelor’s degree and Master’s degree in fine art at the University of the Witwatersrand focusing specifically on sound installation for which I won the Martienssen prize. Most recently, he completed his PhD in fine art entitled Sound Art: Space, Time, and Johannesburg (2020) and have been focussing on interdisciplinary and collaborative projects that seek to advance sound art as artistic research.
Jurgen Meekel (1963, Amsterdam) is an audiovisual artist, filmmaker, and designer. He graduated cum laude in Audiovisual Art from the Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam after education in graphic design and printing techniques. His multidisciplinary work spans installation art, sculpture, animation, cinematography, post-production, and sound art. Recent collaborations include the Playgroup sound collective and AV projection designs for theatre. He exhibited nationally and internationally and is part of the Utrecht Central Museum for Modern Art’s collection. He teaches Film&TV at Wits University’s School of Arts, where he earned his MA in Fine Arts with distinction in 2018.