PositiveNegatives

True stories. Drawn from life

PositiveNegatives contextualises and humanises global research through creative storytelling.

As part of the GCRF Drugs and Disorder project, PositiveNegatives will facilitate the co-production of arts-based multimedia outputs based on the programme’s research in order to stimulate public engagement and generate impact around the programme’s aims.

PositiveNegatives’ involvement is a key aspect of the Drugs and Disorder mixed methodology approach, incorporating creative methodologies into the research process itself.
In addition, capacity-building initiatives will be built into the collaborative research, production and dissemination processes thereby growing the capabilities of partner organisations in innovative research communications.

Ben Dix
Director @ PositiveNegatives

I began my career as a professional photographer, working in South Asia, and have subsequently worked as a Communications Manager for the United Nations (UN) and various international NGOs across Asia and Africa for 12 years.

I hold a BA in Political Geography of South Asia (SOAS, 2002) an MA in Anthropology of Conflict and Violence (Sussex, 2011) and a Doctorate in Anthropology: Graphic Violence: Representing Conflict and Migration through Narratives and Illustrations (Sussex, 2016). I am currently a Senior Fellow in Development Studies at SOAS, University of London.


After working for the UN through the civil war in Sri Lanka, I founded PositiveNegatives to produce literary comics that explore complex social and human rights issues, including conflict, migration and asylum. PositiveNegatives combines ethnographic research with illustration, adapting personal testimonies into art, education and advocacy materials.

I am directing the research, production and dissemination of creative research outputs generated throughout this GCRF project.

Sara Wong
Programme Manager

I recently obtained my MSc from SOAS, University of London, in Development Studies where I researched the role of the arts and culture sector in times of social transformation in my dissertation. I am an experienced Programme Manager working with PositiveNegatives, transforming complex academic research into accessible visual stories.

I have previously worked in the public and nonprofit sector in the US, generating policy-oriented research on social issues such as healthcare and marriage equality. In addition, I have acted as an Art Mentor for a community support programme providing creative engagement for vulnerable children.

I am managing the research, production and dissemination of creative research outputs generated throughout this GCRF project.
I will be leading on the capacity building and impact aspects of PositiveNegatives’ involvement in the project through the development of a relevant training and M&E programme around visual storytelling methodologies.

Andrei Gómez-Suarez
Senior Research Consultant

Andrei Gómez is Associate Researcher in Memory and Reconciliation in Colombia University of Bristol, Honorary Senior Research Associate UCL Institute of the Américas, Senior Consultant Positive Negatives, and Co-founder of Rodeemos el Diálogo. He is the author of Genocide, Geopolitics and Transnational Networks (Routledge, 2015) and El Triunfo del No (Icono, 2016)