Location: British Computer Society, 5 Southampton St, London WC2E 7HA

Mobile phones perform as servants - conscientious, ready to help and always listening. In this subversive talk, I explore how mobile devices can be twisted to act as instigators, daring their owners into unusual situations and uncomfortable experiences. Drawing from a range of recent projects, we will uncover the mischievous potential of a technology that is designed to be aware of its surroundings. By reframing mobile phones as a powerful tool for provocative and critical experiences, I challenge the public to reassess their relationship with their telephone as it twists from obsequious gadget into the sort of bad influence our parents warned us about.

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Ben Kirman is a Lecturer in Interactive Media at the University of York's Department of Theatre, Film and Television. Specialising in the design of critical and provocative interactive systems, Ben's work weaves the social fabric of spaces into subversive location-based digital experiences to explore unconventional aspects of the human-computer relationship. This interdisciplinary work draws from computer science, game studies, psychology, HCI and the arts and has led to a wide collection of mischievous projects and publications - including,notoriously, the publication of science fiction, guitar tabs and homoerotic stories at a world-leading HCI conference. His provocative work has been covered widely by the mainstream press including the BBC, New York Times, The Guardian, New Scientist and Your Cat Magazine.