It’s A
Ca$h-ta$trophe!
Ca$h-ta$trophe
Interactive Artwork, Conceptual Art, Mixed Media
Materials: Hand-crank shredder, spray paint, digitally designed and printed ADHD-themed currency
Ca$h-ta$trophe is an interactive artwork that explores the emotional and mental cost of life with ADHD—what’s often called the “ADHD Tax.”
From impulse buys and late fees to cringe-worthy memories and words we wish we could take back, these moments often spiral into cycles of shame and rumination.
Participants select a piece of custom-designed ADHD-themed funny money and write down something they’ve been holding onto—whether it’s a regretful purchase or that one thing they said five years ago that still haunts them.
Then, they feed it into a golden hand-cranked shredder. The act of shredding becomes a symbolic release—an invitation to forgive yourself, stop the mental loop, and move forward.
The interactive sculpture features:
A hand-crank shredder spray-painted gold—elevating the irony of “throwing it all away”
ADHD-themed currency designed in bold black ink on vibrant green paper
A chance to physically process emotional clutter through tactile, humorous, and cathartic engagement
Limited-edition, full-color giclee prints of the fake currency are available for those who want to keep a playful, empowering reminder of the experience.
Many participants describe this piece as unexpectedly powerful—sometimes tearful, often joyful. It turns inner criticism into action, offering a sensory moment of self-compassion through destruction.
