CdM
    Aldo Gigli

    Aldo Gigli · Co-founder of the Mirano Continental · set designer and graphic artist

    Communication: Posters and Visuals

    The Mirano's graphic design was made entirely by hand, at a time when computers were in their infancy and no artificial intelligence existed. Invitations and posters were born on an architect's drawing table, with Letraset transfer lettering, felt-tip pens and airbrush.

    Every mistake had to be paid for on the spot: flaws and stains were scratched off the poster itself, with a razor blade or Tipp-Ex. That manual process demanded considerable execution time. Carl De Moncharline, from a family of artists, a painter mother and a sculptor father, was used to these methods; what reassured him most was that Aldo never knew the blank-page syndrome. The sets came straight out of his imagination, with no outside help.

    Here is a selection of posters, visuals and printed documents that came off Aldo Gigli's drawing table, from Le Canotier in 1977 to the great Mirano Continental nights of the 1980s.

    Everything is handmade: lettering, collage, inks, blade retouching. These images were printed in a few hundred copies, pasted around the city or slipped into an envelope, then forgotten the next day. Yet they are what fixed the look of the Mirano in the memory of Brussels.

    Le Canotier

    Le Canotier, poster, 1977
    Poster for Le Canotier, the Brussels club where Aldo Gigli started out as a graphic artist, with Marco Rolland and Paul Sterck, the future co-founders of the Mirano. 1977.
    Le Canotier, membership card, 23 December 1977
    Membership card for Le Canotier, dated 23 December 1977. The care given to a simple card already announces the graphic rigour of the Mirano.
    Le Canotier, membership card, back, 23 December 1977
    Back of a Le Canotier membership card, dated 23 December 1977. The text states that the card is strictly personal, must be shown at the door, and refers to the statutes of the “Les Gémeaux” non-profit and to the house rules of the “Le Canotier” venue. Card no. 000665, in the name of Isbecque Michel.Archive document: the card still bears the name of the Les Gémeaux non-profit, which became Le Canotier, four years before the Mirano Continental opened.
    Le Canotier, “Science-Fiction Party: Disko Futura”, 25 January 1979
    Poster for Le Canotier's “Science-Fiction Party: Disko Futura”, Thursday 25 January 1979. Robots, spaceships and waves of colour set to the beat of Star Trek, Star Wars or 2001: Aldo Gigli was already hand-drawing the entire imaginary world of a party night.
    Le Canotier, B-52's concert, 12 July 1979
    Yellow and blue poster for the B-52's concert at Le Canotier, Thursday 12 July 1979, 147 boulevard du Souverain, 1160 Brussels. The red and brown lettering announces “Concert Exceptionnel B 52'S”, with Japanese characters “全降下 !” at the bottom and the mention “au Canotier”. Aldo Gigli was already creating a visual identity in which graphics echo the energy of the stage.Original poster for Le Canotier, 1979. Private collection.

    The Mirano Continental

    “Coming soon to Brussels... the Mirano...”, promotional visual, 1981
    Announcement visual for the opening of the Mirano Continental, 1981. The club introduced itself through an image before it even existed.
    Mirano logo, 1981
    The Mirano Continental logo, drawn by hand in 1981. A lettering that would underpin ten years of posters.
    Artwork for the opening invitation, Thursday 19 March 1981
    Original artwork for the invitation to the opening of the Mirano Continental. Black-and-white photomontage: a ballroom couple, a vintage television set and a halo of light, with dotted light-bulb lettering reading “...Mirano Continental...”, “Grand Opening”, “'80 Deca Dance Room” and the address “38 chaussée de Louvain, 1030 Bxl (Madou)”. A strip pasted diagonally across the artwork, added by hand, corrects the date to “19 March 1981, 10 pm” where the printed background reads “25 March 1981, 10 pm”. Bottom right, the Moda Concept logo.
    Aldo Gigli showing the original artwork of the Mirano membership card
    Still from the documentary: Aldo Gigli holds, in a plastic sleeve, the original artwork of the Mirano Continental membership card, a rare piece kept since 1981. It shows the dotted light-bulb lettering “Mirano Continental”, the words “Grand Opening”, the date “25 mars 1981, 22h”, the “'80 Deca Dance Room” logo, the address “30, chaussée de Louvain, 1030 Bxl (Madou)” and the telephone numbers, with the black-and-white ballroom couple on the right and the Moda Concept logo.Frame from the film “Mirano 80, l'espace d'un rêve”, directed by Thomas Purcaro Decaro and Luc Jabon.
    Allez Allez in concert, Thursdays 19 and 26 November 1981
    Poster for the Allez Allez concerts at the Mirano Continental, presented by the club and Scalp Records, on Thursdays 19 and 26 November 1981 at 10 pm. The newly formed Belgian band was part of the club's first live line-ups.
    Gala Swing Scalp, Thursday 17 December 1981
    Mirano Continental, Thursday 17 December 1981: Gala Swing Scalp, Graphique Records, with Allez Allez, Chabada and Erika. Signed “Aldo X 81”.
    The first Christmas at the Mirano, 24 December 1981
    Poster for the first Christmas Eve at the Mirano Continental, on 24 December 1981, a few months after the opening.
    Nuit Magnétique, March 1982
    Poster for the Nuit Magnétique at the Mirano Continental, March 1982.
    Soirée Or, May 1982
    Poster for the Soirée Or at the Mirano Continental, May 1982.
    Belgian national holiday at the Mirano, 20 July 1982
    Poster for the night of Tuesday 20 July 1982, the eve of the Belgian national holiday, at the Mirano Continental.
    Fantasia of the Thousand and One Nights, 29 September 1982
    Poster for the Fantasia of the Thousand and One Nights, Wednesday 29 September 1982, at the Mirano Continental.
    Bal Masqué, 1982
    Poster for the Bal Masqué at the Mirano Continental, 1982. Against a pearl-grey ground, an Art Deco figure in a red sheath dress holds a black mask on a stick; the title “Bal Masqué” is lettered in white with gothic serifs, underlined by a solid rule. Ink drawing with flat colour, signed Aldo.
    “L'Élégance d'un soir”, sketch, 30 September 1983
    Original sketch for the “L'Élégance d'un soir” visual, by Michèle Michèle, for the night of 30 September 1983 at the Mirano Continental. An airbrushed figure on a black ground with hand-lettered calligraphy, before any printed reproduction.Photograph of the original sketch kept in the archives.
    3rd Grand Bal des Solitaires, 30 September 1983
    Poster for the third Grand Bal des Solitaires at the Mirano Continental, on 30 September 1983.
    New Year's Night 83-84, 31 December 1983
    Invitation for New Year's Night 83-84 at the Mirano Continental: “The Mirano, seized by megalomania, will grow a new space: the Circus of the longest night, a night of tightrope walkers off balance, a real night without a safety net.” Champagne from midnight to noon, breakfast included, with the participation of Top Productions in the Dark. Blue calligraphy, yellow geometric shapes and a “1984” in digital figures.
    Cruise on the US Continental, 10 February 1984
    Poster for the Cruise on the US Continental, Friday 10 February 1984, at the Mirano Continental.
    Les Divas at the Mirano, 11 April 1984
    Poster for Les Divas at the Mirano, Wednesday 11 April 1984. Hair by Michel Itobate, models New Agency, styling Jonathan Bernard Leclercq, choreography Gyle Waddy, make-up Suzy Vandeven, stage management Noël Mylle, produced by Climax Europe Show.
    Magic Night, “The Show of the Shows”, 17 April 1987
    Poster for the Magic Night at the Mirano Continental, Friday 17 April 1987 at 10.30 pm, with Alipio, Daniel Adrian, Nyen, Bob Alan, Fredini, Misterjo and Carlos Vaquera. Drawn by Aldo Gigli in the style of a nineteenth-century fairground engraving, complete with children's portraits in medallions, it deliberately dates the event to “1887” to extend the illusion.
    The Neo-Psychedelic Revolution, 16 June 1989
    Complete Mirano Continental poster for “The Neo-Psychedelic Revolution 1989”, launched on Friday 16 June at midnight, then announced every Saturday from 17 June to 2 September. Visible text: “Ah, ça ira, ça ira, ça ira! Les Néo-Babas, on en sera!”; dress and spirit “Stripes soon, Heroïs mais”, retro dancing, “Peace and Love”. Invitation valid for two people.Document transcription: “Mirano Continental, Chaussée de Louvain, 1030 Brussels. The Neo-Psychedelic Revolution 1989. Every Saturday from 17 June to 2 September. Ah, ça ira, ça ira, ça ira! Les Néo-Babas, on en sera! Launch on Friday 16 June from midnight.”
    “Glam or Die!”, poster fragment, 21 December 1990 or 1991
    Fragment of a Mirano Continental poster for the “Glam or Die!” night, with Mikado Sentimental, on 21 December. The year, 1990 or 1991, remains to be confirmed. The collage combines purple satin, roses, diamonds, glamorous figures and white fan-shaped typography.Visible text: “Glam or Die!”, “Mirano Continental”, “Mikado Sentimental”, “21 December”.
    “Mirano Si… Mirano La… Opera”, poster fragment, 1980s
    Fragment of a Mirano Continental poster, 1980s. Against black-and-white architecture punctuated with red, five figures dance around the handwritten words “Mirano Si… Mirano La…” and the monumental word “OPERA”. The exact date and context are not documented.Transcription of the visible text: “Mirano Si… Mirano La… OPERA”.
    Glam Rock, 1980s
    Poster for the Glam Rock night at the Mirano Continental, 1980s. Exact date not documented.
    Les Bacchanales romaines, airbrush artwork
    Poster artwork for Les Bacchanales romaines at the Mirano Continental, Wednesday XVI September at 10 pm. Temples, columns and a triumphal arch worked in airbrush and pencil in a range of reds and burnt earth tones, with hand-drawn lettering. Year not documented.
    Les Bacchanales romaines, gold and red poster
    Final poster for Les Bacchanales romaines: gold ground, a laurel-crowned emperor and a reclining figure drawn in silver grey, a triumphal arch screened in blood red. Printed at the bottom left: “antique dress required”. Wednesday XVI September, 10 pm, Mirano Continental. Signed Aldo. Year not documented.

    Other Projects

    Vitamin Bar, Galerie de la Toison d'Or: the 1000 Pressos banknote, 1980s
    A fake “1000 Pressos” banknote designed by Aldo Gigli for the Vitamin Bar, 558 Galerie de la Toison d'Or, 1050 Brussels. At the height of the juice-bar craze, the note parodies a “Banco Central de Pressos”: a long-tailed quetzal flies over the map of “Isla Pressos Pressos” (Pressos City, Acropolo, La Tosca, Toison de Oro), a smiling adventurer poses as the portrait, and the motto reads “The counterfeiter always rings twice”. 1980s, exact date not documented.Design: Aldo Mirano Gigli. Private collection.
    Report an error