<p>Ashnihilation is a practice-led research project by Dr Tom Milnes that explores how immersive technologies—specifically augmented reality (AR)—can foster emotional and critical engagement with ecological crisis. Commissioned as part of Plymouth’s Green Minds initiative and funded by the European Regional Development Fund/Urban Innovation Actions, the project integrates posthumanist theory, speculative design, and community co-creation to reframe human-nature relationships through site-specific, digitally augmented storytelling.</p> <p>Audiences encountered animated, 3D-scanned hybrid species affected by Ash dieback, accessed via Microsoft HoloLens headsets and mobile AR filters. These creatures were collaboratively developed with Arts University Plymouth students and alumni across Animation, Games, and Costume Production, incorporating sound design, spatial audio, and costume aesthetics.</p> <p>Disseminated through seven twilight events on Plymouth Hoe, a risograph-printed zine with QR codes, a city-centre window display, and online AR platforms, the work reached over 22,000 users. The project is recognised as a model for combining speculative narrative with ecological storytelling, contributing to ongoing discourse in XR, digital storytelling, and multispecies ethics.</p>