GORDON LIGHTFOOT | Sport
HITTING THE BOOKS
After going viral with her polarising breaking routine at the Paris Olympics, B-girl Raygun has returned to what she does best – writing convoluted academic essays about urban culture.
However Rachel Gunn, as she is known outside of the hip hop world, is not writing to get a good grade. In fact she moved on from life as a student some years ago, and now works as a lecturer at Macquarie University.
Raygun is now working on an essay to send to the International Olympic Committee, outlining exactly why she didn’t deserve her total score of zero in the breakdancing competition.
“I think the judges just didn’t understand the irony or the political satire I injected into my routine,” Gunn told our reporters matter-of-factly.
“When you’re able to single-handedly decolonise breakdance culture, while honouring African American culture, like I have, then you can start work on recolonising the artform in a modern context.”
Ms Gunn was seen tapping out her 10,000 words in a trendy cafe in Sydney’s Surry Hills, with the Apple logo on her laptop on full display.
“I just find it easier to write when I’m in a public setting, and I’m seen to be writing,” she said.
“Writers write,” she added profoundly.
Gunn says she isn’t trying to get any results overturned necessarily – she respects the judges’ final decision. But she does want to educate her colleagues on the complex juxtaposition of urban dance culture and the playing kit of the Australian one day cricket team.
“It was ultimately a statement about racism in both Australia and more globally, and what that means for both Australian wildlife and conversely the oppressed people of Palestine,” she said with a knowing smirk.
“This thought piece is going to blow minds.”
More to come.
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