23rd May 2016

Interview: Above Sea Level founder Aimee Hartley

– by Milly Burroughs

From food for thought to wine for food, Aimee Hartley does it all. Beyond being an appreciator of fine grapes and fabulous dishes, Aimee is fascinated by the cultural shift around food and wine. Consumption, taste and wellbeing are linked as closely to hospitality as they are to design so it’s no surprise that the writer and researcher will be hosting a talk as part of Clerkenwell London’s Design Undefined exhibition.

In a twist of fate that suits us just fine, this year’s Clerkenwell Design Week coincides with Wine Week. Having applied her knowledge of our sociological and psychological relationships with food and drink to business, brands and events, Aimee will take to Clerkenwell London’s 155 Bar & Kitchen to discuss the role of wine label design in how we taste wine. We took a few minutes to chat to Aimee ahead of her appearance at Clerkenwell London.

What does Clerkenwell Design Week represent to you?

There is an openness to Clerkenwell Design Week that I enjoy – it doesn’t demand a certain amount of knowledge to partake and enjoy it.

Design Undefined is a celebration of upturned conventions and breaking the rules. Why is breaking the rules important to you?

It becomes less about breaking the rules and more about finding a new way to talk about something that doesn’t take away from the authenticity of the product – in my case, wine. This is something I hope to do with the first issue of my wine and culture magazine, which will be published in the UK in September this year.

Clerkenwell London is a place where food, drink, entertainment and design meet. Why is a destination of that kind important and how is relevant to creativity?

It gives you more time (beyond meeting for a coffee) to better understand the person you are meeting with and to find another potential point of common interest. Food and drink are a social act in nature, they are designed to bring people together in a very natural way. I like the way Clerkenwell London has considered this and explores how our different interests overlap and influence each other.

You will be discussing the connection between design and taste during Clerkenwell Design Week, how does good or bad design affect the food and drink experience?

I think we are all sensitive to internal and external factors when it comes to taste. Anything from the weather, your mood, the time of day, who you are with and where you are all play a role in forming our perception of taste. This includes visual cues like the wine label, lighting or the design of the chair you are sitting in at a restaurant. Do you like the shape or the material? Is it comfortable/uncomfortable?

Find tickets for Aimee’s Design Undefined talk here. Keep up to date with 155 Bar & Kitchen on Twitter and Instagram.