I HAVE BEEN HERE BEFORE
I Have Been Here Before is an animated photomontage that immerses viewers in the layered histories and ecologies of the Mediterranean, drawing inspiration from Daniel Massa’s poem Delimara Bay. The poem’s line, “I have been here before,” serves as the foundation for a visual exploration of our complex and often troubling relationship with the sea.
Conroy’s work translates the poetic reflection of diving from land into ocean into a visual journey through hundreds of meticulously cut and layered photographs. Captured during a residency on the island of Gozo, Malta, the imagery reveals the intertwined connection between people and the sea - visible in architectural details like shell decorations and house names drawn from oceanic mythology. These layers also capture human traces on the land: remnants of waste and pollution, much of which finds its way into the ocean. As the viewer “dives” deeper into the work, the layering becomes increasingly overwhelming, highlighting how these human-made additions—pollution, microplastics, and more—now reside at the ocean’s depths. The playful poetry of Massa’s words is contrasted by this stark reality: the ocean’s once-pure waters are now burdened by these invisible, lasting imprints.
In this work, Conroy invites us to reconsider our connection to the ocean, questioning the lasting impact humans have on the sea and the life it sustains. It is a meditation on the shared origins of all life from the sea and a confrontation with how that relationship has evolved. How do we feel about the ocean today? What are the consequences of our actions on this vital, ancient force? These questions flow from the immersive experience of the piece, urging viewers to reflect on their place within the broader ecological context.
The project is deeply informed by Conroy’s process of site-specific engagement, with thousands of photographs captured during his time on Gozo, along with additional underwater imagery provided by the Atlantis Diving Centre. The result is a dense, intricate work where personal and collective memories converge, exploring the porous boundaries between culture, environment, tradition, and modernity. I Have Been Here Before is both reflective and confronting, offering a space for empathy toward the ocean as a life-giving force—one whose constant, sustaining presence is now threatened by the very hands that once relied on it.
This artwork has been created for the ART4SEA Project which is co-funded by the European Union under the Creative Europe Program (CREA).
