Was it Chairman Mao who once demanded, “Let 100 mules bloom”? No? Then perhaps it's something Lauren Bon might say. The local artist and leader of the Metabolic Studio is trying to get people to think about where their water comes from, including a plan to construct a 70-foot waterwheel in Chinatown in order to “pierce the concrete jacket” of the L.A. River. In her latest project, 100 Mules Walking the Los Angeles Aqueduct, Bon has been walking a team of 100 mules for the past month along the entire 240-mile length of the aqueduct. They arrive this afternoon at the Equidome at the L.A. Equestrian Center in one of the more curiously poignant commemorations of the waterway's 100th anniversary. By starting her journey in the ravaged yet beautifully austere Owens Valley — where folks still don't take too kindly to the way civil engineer William Mulholland transformed semi-arid L.A. into a seemingly lush paradise by turning the previously verdant highland valley into a virtual desert — Bon asks you to consider the intersection of history and locale (and mule) in a work she describes as “a commemorative artist action.” You can also call it adorable: If one mule is cute, can you imagine what a confab of 100 will be like? L.A. Equestrian Center, 480 W. Riverside Drive, Burbank; Mon., Nov. 11, 1:11 p.m.; free. Earlier Mon., at 9 a.m., the mules saunter down Western Avenue in Glendale. (323) 226-1158.

Mon., Nov. 11, 1:11 p.m., 2013

Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.