Interrogating the usefulness of labels
Responding to Concept-tions by Nicole Cyrus
By Xandra Robinson-Burns - 12/08/21
Exactly once, in school, I made the mistake of beginning an essay with “the dictionary definition…” When my teacher crossed out that first sentence in red ink (or was it a gentler purple?) with the note “unnecessary” in the margin, my embarrassment meant I would never repeat such a trope again . I went from feeling well-researched to lazy. Concept-tions too, questions the limitations of definitions, but does so with more complexity than simply crossing them out.
This film, written, directed, and featuring Nicole Cyrus, plays through a series of inanimate objects, introducing each with a stark definition of the image, in a slower, formal tone. Following each definition, Cyrus’s voice warms with an “Or…”, suggesting an alternate personal description. Accompanied by bright sound effects, we learn the potential significance behind an orange, a bench, the London cityscape, and more. This pattern of contrasting definitions shows how the same visual takes on a richer meaning when attached to an intimate story. The most pointed example of this is Strongbow cider — described as having “a dry taste”, just like the dry definitions. The myriad of sound effects bring the definitions to life in a bubblier way (literally, in the case of the hiccup), while the font, and grammatical inconsistencies diminish the initial definitions as meme-like. The first definitions are the ones you can ‘just Google’.
The alternate descriptions for each image are hypothetical rather than explicitly her own experience. These brief stories feature a grandfather and granddaughter, “every emo teenager”, and “all the girls” in CCT class. Some of the descriptions speak to the audience in the second person, referring to “your” friend, or “your” city to involve you, the viewer, as a participant in this narrative.
The final image is that of Cyrus herself, surrounded by labels that describe her. From her facial reactions, it appears she is content with some of these labels, while other descriptors are not her choice. A Black woman, she sighs, between “intimidating” and “angry”. She concludes with the suggestion that she could be “just a person. Free from the constraints of society”.
Through humour and personality, Concept-tions reminds us of how stiff labels can be. What really matters is the stories we attribute to a thing, be it a fruit or a place. Surely it should be the same with people: it’s who we are and what we experience together that matter more than how we define the fractured pieces of ourselves. Once I recognise the pattern of this film, I look forward to hearing each reveal; what anecdote will spring out of each image? While every little story does not fully describe or define the object, the exercise shows that concise definition is not possible - nor is it the point. After all, it seems silly to define some things so precisely.
I’ve been obsessed with gathering words for my identity for as long as I can remember. I took online personality quizzes back before Buzzfeed, telling me which Lord of the Rings character I am (Elrond), which Powerpuff Girl I am (Buttercup, or did I rig that one? I don’t remember), which Meyers-Brigg type and Harry Potter character I am (NTJ and Snape). I love learning about my astrological chart (typical Sun in Leo). I now wonder, are these labels compensation for, or distraction from, the parts of my identity others choose to prioritise? Am I eager to provide ways of describing me, before others choose labels for me?
As a teenager I discovered transcendentalist literature, and wanted to be a transcendentalist myself. It was exciting to collect a word that resonated with my personal philosophy. Then, I read that one of the movement’s founders, Ralph Waldo Emerson, denounced the label — as well as the concept of labelling itself. In his essay, Self-Reliance, he cautions readers from over-identification with “screens” of society, such as political or religious groups. Philosophical movements would go under that umbrella too. I took this essay as a lesson. Don’t over-identify; just be me. Upon reflection, however, I realised that I couldn’t compare myself to Emerson. He, a white wealthy man, had the privilege of being seen for his ideas first.
Cyrus offers another take on living with labels. She does not denounce or dismiss them, even if she expresses some discomfort. She lets some of them stay on the screen, part of the poem. Through the setup of the previous images, before landing here on herself, we can see the rigidity of the labels when they are used to describe her. Rather than replacing them with other labels, or correcting the definition of herself, Cyrus offers that she’s just a person; she doesn’t need to compose a definition for herself. The film, until this point, teaches us that the person beyond the definition is what matters the most.
These preceding anecdotes are glimpses of how she imagines the world. Through them, we have also met Cyrus herself, more complexly than labels could describe. In doing so, Cyrus has trained the viewer into what I thought was possible only for white men: to see her for her ideas first.
You can watch Concept-tions at Fringe of Colour Films 2021, from 1 - 7 August here.
Xandra Robinson-Burns (she/her) is an essayist and the protagonist of Heroine Training She writes about everyday life, and finding wisdom in what we do for fun. Her membership programme, Everyday Wonderland, helps readers find wonder where they already are, away from screens.
