Porn goes upmarket in seminar at the ICA

Despite the best efforts of the Vice Squad, Soho has long been London's illicit epicentre of all things carnal.

Today, however, the balance of sexual power will shift from Soho to the more salubrious surrounds of The Mall, where the Institute of Contemporary Art is staging two days of "smutty, not sexy" seminars entitled ErotICA.

The ICA is aiming all its intellectual acumen at the sticky subject of sex - and just why the British, even in the 21st century, are so very abashed about the subject.

Tomorrow night a panel including French porn star Ovidie, former Today programme editor Rod Liddle and former Evening Standard columnist Zoe Williams will ponder: "Why are the British so bad at pornography?"

According to the ICA: "While the French indulge in a literary-erotic renaissance and the Americans use handheld cameras to democratise pornography, the British remain enthusiastic amateurs. What can be done to put Britain on the erotic map?"