She had no plan for how to use them until an invitation arrived at her doorstep. It came from the steering committee for the Scrapel Hill Art Contest & Exhibit now at University Mall. It asked Gignoux and other artists to submit pieces composed of materials that had been used for another purpose, such as a soda can or a plastic bag.

Suddenly, the red pail full of the amazing rusted shards had a destiny, along with some brown paper bags sprayed with paint that someone had given Gignoux.

"I thought, I can marry these two worlds together and create a non-quilt out of non-traditional materials," Gignoux said. "All of the sudden I've renewed these things that were not properly thrown away. They get to have a new song,"

University Mall was purchased in January 2008 by the Madison Marquette group, which wants to make the mall a vibrant arts and community space.

"They very much embrace the idea of public art, knowing that art enhances our lives, our workplaces," said Susan Reda, special events manager.

Reda used to live across the street from Hunter Levinsohn, a contemporary artist whose pieces always are created from things that other people toss away. Her art was a great inspiration to Reda, so she contacted recycling guru Blair Pollock of Orange County Waste Management, who told her about a show called Scrapture in California.

She next contacted Jeffrey York, the public arts administrator for Chapel Hill. He came up with the name Scrapel Hill and joined the steering committee, as did Ed Camp, Jerri Meldrum, Jane Tyndall, Joe Rowand, Lauren Sacks, Jackie Helvey, Blair Pollock, Muriel Williman, Garry Meldrum, Michael Brown, Mike Roig, Joy Javits, Hunter Levinsohn, Callie Warner and Ann May Woodward.

Of course creating art from cast offs will not solve the problem of too much garbage, but Muriel Williman, the outreach cordinator for Orange County Waste Management, said the art serves greater purposes than just being incredible to view.

"I definitely try to encourage people to look at materials in a different way than they may present themselves," she said. "You may be looking at a milk jug and only see the jug and not see the durable, translucent, milky quality of the plastic." That same jug could be made into a musical instrument, a mask, or a birdfeeder.

In conjunction with the exhibit, the mall will host two Scrap Exchange creative re-use art workshops for children this Saturday, 2-3 p.m. and May 3, 2-3 p.m. Make reservations at the customer service center. Space is limited. The exhibit is also part of the this week's 2nd Friday Artwalk and on the May 8, and June 12 Artwalks.

Several pieces in the show will be for sale, including Paul and Ginger Bauer's grandfather clock, which keeps time and weighs about 200 pounds. All of the metal elements used in the clock are found and include pieces of bed frames and office furniture hardware.

Unlike Gignoux, the Bauers didn't come across their treasures during walks, but during dumpster-grazing adventures.

Once a week when they took their recycling in, the Bauers would get down and dirty, often finding things that elicited great thrills. Chatham recently banned this practice so the Bauers now buy their metal from scrap yards in Sanford, Siler City, and Greensboro paying 10 cents per pound.

The Bauers take very seriously their ethic of treading lightly on the earth and are working to create carbon neutral art.

"We purchase carbon offsets to offset the energy that went into the work. We have gone to NC Greenpower, a group that has organized to promote being carbon neutral. They want to help people be more aware of energy they are using and how to compensate for it," Paul Bauer said. He and Ginger kept track of the electricity they used in their workshop and the miles they drove for parts. "We figure we used $150 in energy to create the clock. It cost us $11 to purchase the carbon offsets," Paul said.

Whatever the material, whatever the final product, there is one thought that ties all of these artists together, eloquently stated by Gignoux. "You are kind of creating your own narrative left over from other conversations."

Go take in the trash.

IF YOU GO

On April 23, everyone is invited to University Mall for a gala from 6-8 p.m. Tickets are $25 with proceeds going to the ArtsCenter and to Green Plus, an initiative of The Institute for Sustainable Development (www.gogreenplus.org). RSVP to sreda@mmrs.com by April 17. Viewers can vote for their favorite piece or pieces by putting a dollar in a container at the piece. Again, the money goes to the ArtsCenter and Green Plus. The three top winners will receive $3,500, $2,000, and $1,500 from Madison Marquette (www.scrapelhillart.com).

Deborah R. Meyer can be contacted at eloise@nando.com or at 942-3252.