What did you set out to achieve?

John and Luke, and Brian and Amanda from Spinifex Arts, wanted the best book we could make on this extraordinary art movement. Alongside that, they wanted to be able to tell this remarkable story of survival and revival and something that spans so much of what the 20th century threw up for us: colonialism and the devastating atomic tests by the British in 1952. Those tests profoundly affected the community who ran away from this terror, many of whom were not seen again until 1986. The other big 20th-century story is that of Native Title within Australia.

These two profound events come from outside the community of artists that influenced their need to develop as artists. The Spinifex people needed to claim the country they had left and returned to in 1986. This country was now occupied by others, and then had to prove their connection with the country. They matched artistic expression to prove this was their country, a remarkable story. This book is so precious in that it tells all of those stories and then shows us the work these artists have made both as individual artists and in collaborative paintings.

The book is a compelling read. The text and the images are rich and moving, making it an incredible document. It feels like so much more than just an art book. It is stunning storytelling that restores an essential part of our history.

What were the challenges?

There were many challenges in an almost 400-page full-colour book. It's interesting how we forget everything that might've been a challenge when we finally reach the end. One particular challenge was the selection of artworks because there was so much extraordinary material to choose from.

An individual philanthropist and lover of Spinifex art gave us remarkable support. He had a clear desire that the book be printed in Australia. Printing locally a book like this is a rarity these days because of costs. Offshore printing is taking over, sadly. This gentleman was keen that the book was printed in Australia and contributed generously to enable that. This financial support was a significant gesture and added another layer to the stories woven into this book.

How did the information-gathering process work?

John and Luke planned the information gathering alongside Spinifex Arts. They worked with those who work at, run, and create art in that community. It was an enormously collaborative project, and Spinifex Arts was involved in all decision making. That's made very clear in the opening and the text on the back of the book, "We are Spinifex people from the Great Victoria Desert and live in the Tjuntjuntjara community. This is our story and the history of our Spinifex Art project. The old people were born in this country, and painting helped get this country back."

In that sense, it's a very political book because it is by the community. Many art books about Aboriginal art have a gap between the intent and the audience and the information-gathering process. Everything the editors came up with for the final product had gone through the community's decision-making. I met the key people, and I trusted the editors. I knew they'd selected writers up to the job with profound knowledge of the artists, the community, and its history. Trust is the key in publishing as well.