CdM
    Aldo Gigli

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

    The Locomotives

    This chapter gathers the lone photographs of Mirano Continental parties from the years when Aldo Gigli designed the sets.

    From 1982 to 1986, these scattered images restore the diversity of Mirano nights: the ethereal silhouette of the “Nuit Magnétique” party in March 1982, two masked guests in costume beneath the club's turquoise logo, Roland Bindi, singer of Allez Allez, taking over the 1983 oriental stage between two hostesses in kimonos, the white Cadillac parked in the entrance hall, or the dreamlike portrait of Fundji Ngelessy, an iconic customer of the club, drawn by Jean-Louis Boccar beneath the “Ciné Mirano” sign.

    Those nights also recall how the Mirano regulars marked Carl. Patryck de Froidmont, a neighbour of his parents, once invited the teenager over to show him his bathtub converted into a submarine. Faced with such boundless imagination, the boy understood that every freedom was possible.

    As with fashion, the Mirano Continental made costume and transformation an integral part of the celebration. Theme nights invited everyone to step into a character: extravagant silhouettes, make-up, feathers and elegance created a riotously colourful venue.

    The album opens with the card for the Costume Ball of the Year on 28 September 1984, a visual that belongs to the graphic atmosphere of the Mirano at that time. The printed credits are preserved and the text is transcribed in full.

    More atmosphere photographs will join this album as documents come in.

    Photo album: parties at the Mirano Continental in Aldo Gigli's years, gathered as documents come in. Click a picture to browse the album.

    Black-tie atmosphere at the Mirano, 1980s
    Black-and-white photograph, horizontal format. At the Mirano Continental bar, a man in a tuxedo talks with a blonde woman; other guests in evening wear complete the hushed, elegant atmosphere of the Mirano nights.
    On the dance floor, 1980s
    Black-and-white photograph, vertical format. A couple dances in the half-light of the Mirano Continental; motion blurs the outlines yet keeps the intensity of the moment.
    In the Mirano lounges, 1980s
    Black-and-white photograph, vertical format. A man in a tuxedo sits on the Mirano Continental's sofa, in front of a large geometric-patterned mirror reflecting the room lights.
    Tuxedo and sunglasses, 1980s
    Black-and-white photograph, horizontal format. Two men in tuxedos, one wearing sunglasses, pose in the nighttime atmosphere of the Mirano Continental.
    Three regulars at the bar, 1980s
    Black-and-white photograph, horizontal format. Three men in tuxedos gather at the Mirano Continental bar, one of them gesturing as the night's lively conversation unfolds.
    In a corner of the Mirano, 1980s
    Black-and-white photograph, horizontal format. Three men pose in front of a tagged wall at the Mirano Continental; their styles mix beret, suspenders and suit, between street culture and evening wear.
    A break with friends, 1980s
    Black-and-white photograph, horizontal format. Three friends sit side by side at the Mirano Continental in a relaxed pose that contrasts with their jacket-and-tie outfits.
    A couple on the dance floor, 1980s
    Black-and-white photograph, vertical format. An evening-dressed couple stands in the Mirano Continental crowd, their gaze turned toward the room.
    At the bar with a headband, 1980s
    Black-and-white photograph, horizontal format. At the Mirano Continental bar, a woman wearing a white headband talks with a man in a tuxedo while other guests linger in the background.
    Guests in exotic costumes, 1980s
    Black-and-white photograph, horizontal format. Three Mirano Continental guests pose in exotic costumes, necklaces and outfits inspired by an imagined elsewhere, typical of the club's costume parties.
    Costumed group, 1980s
    Black-and-white photograph, horizontal format. A group of Mirano Continental regulars pose in flamboyant costumes, feathers and masks, in the theatrical spirit of the club's themed nights.
    Atmosphere in the Mirano hall, 1980s
    Black-and-white photograph, horizontal format. Wide view of the Mirano Continental hall: a man in a white suit lying in the foreground, other guests standing or sitting, the bar and disco lights in the background.
    Robert Sante & Grace Jones: la vie en rose
    Black-and-white photograph, horizontal format. Robert Sante and Grace Jones pose together at the Mirano Continental, in the relaxed and glamorous atmosphere of the club's nights.
    Mirano guests, 1980s
    Black-and-white photograph, horizontal format. Three Mirano Continental guests pose side by side, smiling, in the hushed atmosphere of the club's nights.
    Oriental party with Roland Bindi, 1983
    Colour photograph, vertical format. In front of an ochre curtain topped with large light calligraphy, Roland Bindi, singer of the band Allez Allez, poses in a pink calligraphed satin costume and white glasses, flanked by two hostesses in blue and green silk kimonos with Japanese-style make-up. In 1983, the Mirano Continental's oriental party mixed live music and costumed theatre.
    The Cadillac in the entrance hall
    Colour photograph, horizontal format. In the entrance hall of the Mirano Continental, a white Cadillac is set up as a meeting point: a man in a tuxedo and two elegant women pose inside, against a midnight-blue backdrop and the club's vertical logo. 1980s.
    The Trio Infernal in the hall's Cadillac, 1989
    Colour photograph, horizontal format. In 1989, Dan Mac Roll, Santino Del Paradiso Trovato and Riton Liebman, the Trio Infernal, pose with their guests aboard the Cadillac installed in the entrance hall of the Mirano Continental, under the photo-studio reflector umbrella and against the midnight-blue backdrop with the club's vertical logo.
    The Trio Infernal in the hall's Cadillac, 1989 (2)
    Colour photograph, horizontal format. Same 1989 session in the Mirano Continental's hall: Dan Mac Roll, Santino Del Paradiso Trovato and Riton Liebman, the Trio Infernal, and their guests laughing aboard the Cadillac, between the studio reflector umbrella and the hand-painted seascape.
    The Trio Infernal in the hall's Cadillac, 1989 (3)
    Colour photograph, horizontal format. Third view of the 1989 session: Dan Mac Roll leaning on the Cadillac's convertible top in the foreground, his Trio Infernal partners Santino Del Paradiso Trovato and Riton Liebman, and their guests behind, in front of the Mirano's giant letters.
    The Cadillac in the entrance hall, 1989 (2)
    Colour photograph, horizontal format. Another view from the 1989 session in the entrance hall of the Mirano Continental: the white Cadillac, set up as a meeting point, is surrounded by guests beneath the photo-studio reflector umbrella and against the midnight-blue backdrop with the club's vertical logo.
    The Cadillac in the entrance hall, 1989 (3)
    Colour photograph, horizontal format. Same 1989 session: a man in a white suit and black hat at the wheel of the white Cadillac, surrounded by guests and the vertical Mirano logo in the club's entrance hall.
    The Cadillac in the entrance hall, 1989 (4)
    Colour photograph, horizontal format. A man in a mustard jacket at the wheel of the white Cadillac, three elegant women posing aboard, beneath the photo-studio reflector umbrella and the midnight-blue backdrop of the Mirano Continental. 1989.
    The Cadillac in the entrance hall, 1989 (5)
    Colour photograph, horizontal format. A group of guests posing around the white Cadillac in the entrance hall of the Mirano Continental, sunglasses and summer outfits, against the midnight-blue backdrop and the club's vertical logo. 1989.
    Show and crowd at the Mirano, 1980s
    Colour photograph, horizontal format. Costumed performers move above the Mirano Continental crowd, between balconies and staircases, in the effervescence of a 1980s themed night.
    Themed night on the dance floor, 1980s
    Colour photograph, horizontal format. The Mirano Continental dance floor under a space-themed set: a giant sphere and costumed figures animate the stage, the audience surrounding the show.
    Costume party at the Mirano, 1980s
    Colour photograph, horizontal format. Guests in oriental and fanciful outfits in the Mirano Continental hall, among turbans, caftans and stage make-up.
    The Mirano hall, c. 1980
    Colour photograph, horizontal format. Wide view of the Mirano Continental hall, crowd on the dance floor and balconies, under the ceiling lighting and spotlights. In the foreground, a guest wears a white headband.
    Fundji Ngelessy, Mirano icon, by Jean-Louis Boccar
    Work by Jean-Louis Boccar, 1980s. The vertical “Ciné Mirano” sign dominates a space-age composition in which a portrait of Fundji Ngelessy, one of the club's iconic customers, stands out against a backdrop of galaxies and a stylised satellite.
    Masked ball at the Mirano Continental, 1982
    Colour photograph, vertical format. Two masked-ball guests face each other beneath the turquoise Mirano Continental logo: the man wears a black domino mask, a feathered hat and a white cape; the woman, in a ruffled black dress with white feathers, answers him in a matching mask. The image captures the flirtation that defined the club's costume parties in the early 1980s.
    And Away the Ship Sails
    Colour photograph, horizontal format. At the Mirano Continental, a couple in stage costume: she in a white dress with black pom-poms and a feather collar, he in a white sailor's uniform with an officer's cap. Seated on the venue's iconic blue sofa, they embody the theatrical, offbeat spirit of the club's themed nights in the 1980s.
    The Costume Ball of the Year, 28 September 1984
    Card for the Costume Ball of the Year at the Mirano Continental, Friday 28 September 1984 at 10:30 pm. Printed credits: Conception-Espace, Walid Aouni; photography, Ph. Huyghebaert.
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