The video footage ‘went viral’

AN electro band member behind the giant silver orbs that broke apart and hurtled down Tottenham Court Road in Storm Claudio said he had always felt like the art project had “a life of its own”.

Mount Kimbie’s Kai Campos said the Four World Set art project in St Giles Square, off Tottenham Court Road, was “one of the most exciting things” he’d been involved with and he was “gutted”. Two the orbs, in a scene that could have been ripped from the Steven Spielberg classic The Goonies, thundered through the West End crashing into street furniture before being torn apart. Footage went viral across internet forums and news media sites.

Mr Campos said: “It felt like it had a life of its own and one that was just getting started. I’m absolutely gutted that more people won’t get to see it this week. Trying to take the positives from the experience, I will always remember the feeling there on Sunday night. We, of course, had prepared for bad weather and strong winds but just got really unlucky… It was amazing, but too brief.”

Four World Set, created by Tom Shannon, was supposed to be on display until Saturday.

Video shot early on Tuesday shows two giant silver balls being swept along Tottenham Court Road, narrowly missing cyclists, cars, and buses.

The footage shows the first bauble rolling down the road before hitting a lamp-post and shedding its silver foil coating.

The still-lit ball, part of the giant art installation, then carries on bouncing down the road before coming to a stop on the pavement. The orb is then followed by another, faster, ball which blows straight down the middle of the street before stopping close to the first.

Pedestrians and cyclists can be seen stopping to watch as cars swerve to avoid being hit.