Create a symbolic sculpture of rusted scrap metal that has personal meaning for people. Examples would be a peace symbol, a valentine-style heart, a map of the United States or a Christian fish symbol. Allow the whole symbol to rust by exposing it to water. The more you allow the symbol to rust the more it tells of your estrangement from the symbol. It is becoming dead, corrupt and useless to you, and perhaps to society itself.
Allow a progression of rusting that runs either from left to right or right to left on the symbol. If the left side is clean but the right side is rusted scrap it implies that you were once optimistic about what the symbol stands for but are now pessimistic. If the left side is rusted scrap but the right side is clean then the situation and your feelings are reversed.
Splotch a clean version of the scrap metal symbol with patches of rust. The more and larger the patches of rust the stronger it implies that nothing is pure but everything has points of impurity to it. Or, do the reverse and have small patches of clean areas on a heavily rusted symbol. This shows that nothing is all bad or totally lost to hope, but that everything has some redeemable pieces to it.
Other types of symbols that can be made from scrap metal include flags, school and corporate logos, and male or female images. The cruder the image created from torn-up scrap, the more symbolic your estrangement appears to the viewer. In lieu of rust you can add other types of caustic material that defaces the metal to show the same effect.