Chip Lord presents his recent The Aroma of Enchantment with an introductory talk on ‘The Futuristic in the American 1950s’. Using slides of Cadillac Ranch and clips from Easy Living, Lord will construct the context from which he viewed Japan during a 1991 Fellowship in Tokyo. The Aroma of Enchantment is a video essay investigating the “Idea of America” that developed in postwar Japan. Lord weaves historical footage of General Douglas MacArthur with stories told by collectors or practitioners of Americanization which connect their concept of America to the post- war occupation period. Chip Lord has worked with video since 1972 when he was a founding member of Ant Farm and TVTV and produced several video classics. He recently has released Motorist (1989) and the installations Picture Windows and Fashion Zone.