THERE is so much more to Indonesia than its wonderful food, but that is certainly a good place to start.

Get a taste of the culture of the South-East Asian archipelago by sampling mouthwatering street food at Stravaigin in the west end and at Saramago in CCA, then feast on the largest curated showcase of arts from the country ever presented in the UK.

Discover Indonesia, from September 9 to 13 at venues across Glasgow including CCA, the Glue Factory, GFT, Glasgow School of Art, the Burrell Collection, Kelvingrove and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland celebrates 70 years of independence for the nation in a burst of vibrant, colourful events.

Glasgow-based music theatre company Cryptic is behind the programme on in the city.

“I made it very clear early on that I wanted to look at not just performing arts from Indonesia, I wanted to look at Indonesia as a whole,” says Cryptic artistic director Cathie Boyd.

“ Also the fact we are partnering with Stravaigan, it’s the whole thing - not just art, it’s culture on many levels.”

Over the years Cathie has made several trips to Indonesia, more recently with the British Council in Jakarta on a journey that inspired this event, which also has a tie-in with a programme at Southbank Centre in London and the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff.

“I hope quality work will attract an audience. We have carefully programmed work which is for a huge range of people,” she says.

“ Kande are an incredible world music band, there are 10 or 12 of them on stage. When you hear them you just want to dance.

“They are going to be at CCA on the Saturday night, then after that we have Senyawa in the Art School, who are this crazy duo - the guy sings falsetto and they play instruments made from old pieces of field machinery.

“Kande quite often perform to 10,000 people in Indonesia but having an audience of a couple of hundred here is fantastic. This is a great family night out, the music speaks to everyone.”

Trend-setting innovator and renowned visual artist Jompet Kuswidananto brings his Grand Parade to the Glue Factory.

Groups of life-size figures wearing festive, ceremonial and political dress form the colourful assembly of this kinetic sculpture that explores identity in Indonesian society.

“While Jompet’s work is very contemporary, there is a historical cultural Javanese element that you are very aware of,” says Cathie of the artist who will also show work during Sonica later in the autumn at Govanhill Baths.

“It will inspire. I challenge anyone who goes to see that and isn’t completely in awe of his work. It is absolutely stunning.”

Though many of the Indonesian artists coming to Glasgow may not be household names in this part of the world, in Asia they have a solid reputation.

“Jompet is incredibly well known in Asia, and he has already show at the Lyon Biennale. Britain is late discovering this artist,” points out Cathie.

“ He’s a major name. When I was in Taipei recently I met a gallery owner who has commissioned him loads of times. Then I met a lady at Taipei Museum and she showed me the programme from the 2012 Biennale and there was Jompet’s name.

“He’s exciting. It’s the scale of what he’s bringing, it’s not just one installation. I’m delighted that he gets to come here for two or three weeks, he gets to work with people here, he will give talks, it’s fantastic.”

The eye-catching portraits of visual artist Jim Allen Abel adorns the cover of the Discover Indonesia brochure and more can be seen at the Glue Factory.

A striking commentary of the current power systems in Indonesian society, Uniform_Code focuses on the influences of uniforms on those seen to be in positions of trust or authority.

“Jim’s father was a teacher and was made to wear a uniform. Then he realised so many people in Indonesia wear uniforms and what does that mean to society, what does it say about people?,” explains Cathie.

“One of the glorious images he has taken is of a street cleaner in uniform and he has replaced the head with cigarette butts because everyone in Indonesia smokes. It’s really clever, beautiful work.”

Traditional Indonesian puppet play is given a contemporary edge by Papermoon in their show Mwathirika, on at CCA. The 100-year-old art form found in Java and Bali explores the nation’s troubled past.

Meanwhile influential writer, poet and activist Goenawan Mohamad will give a talk at CCA on his 30-year fight for freedom of expression, leading to the foundation of several arts and media organisations.

And GFT will showcase the work of film-maker Vincent Moon who has made short films about life in Indonesia and the country’s sounds, from pop music to shamanic rituals.

The beautiful Dancers of Mangkunegaran Royal Palace in Surakarta offer a look at an age-old artform, and Gamelan Naga Mas fuses traditional Indonesian music with western synthesizers and piano.

“Maybe in the future we might send some associates to Indonesia. We have so much to learn from each other. It’s not just about great food,” says Cathie.

Discover Indonesia, September 9-13, across Glasgow. Visit www.cryptic.org.uk/discover-indonesia