Fifty women from Helena reclined nude on a snowy mountaintop Saturday singing John Lennon's "Give Peace a Chance," all in an artistic effort to profess their opposition to a U.S. war with Iraq.

Only the lens of a camera bore witness to the demonstration, which saw the women join together in spelling "PEACE" across a windswept meadow. Katie Knight, who photographed the demonstration, called the event a great success.

"We wanted to show how strongly we feel about the Bush administration's proposed war with Iraq," Knight said. "We wanted to symbolically place our bodies between the weapons of mass destruction and the innocent civilians in Iraq."

Standing on a 16-foot ladder, Knight captured the event on film. The image, shot near Helena, has since been circulated throughout the country and poster requests have been pouring in, Knight said.

"We're in the process of making the poster," Knight said. "It has gotten so much attention. It has been very profound for those who did it and the poster we're going to make is already in great demand."

The photo depicts 50 nude female bodies tinged pink by the chilly mountain air. Together, they form the word "PEACE" over a distance of 50 feet. Some women rest propped on an elbow while others lie with arms stretched overhead, grasping another's foot. Two of the participants were nine months pregnant.

"It's about facing our own fears, and it's about having our foreign policy shaped by fear," Knight said. "The energy was very high."

Knight said event organizers got the idea from a group of women in California who conducted a similar demonstration on a local beach. In contrast, the Helena women reclined in the snow over prickly pear cactus in a freezing rain. But the weather didn't dampen their spirits or divert them from their cause.

"What else can we do to let our government, our community and the world, know that we will not stand aside as the Bush administration makes plans for genocide?" Knight said. "If it would stop the war, many of us would bear witness this way in the middle of downtown."

Knight said that by removing their clothing and exposing themselves to the Montana winter - and the eyes of the world - the participants were able to identify with the millions who have nothing to gain if the U.S. initiates war with Iraq.

"On the most personal level, we are making peace with our bodies and overcoming our own self-consciousness by joining together to embrace life around the planet," Knight said. "It's pretty awesome."

While the photo was offered to the IR for publication and opinions were mixed, the paper chose not to run it after discussing the issue at length.

"(We chose) not to publish the photo because we have hundreds of papers that go into local classrooms through our Newspapers in Education program, and also because we felt the photo would offend some readers," said IR Editor Dave Shores.

Knight called the event an "art happening."

"Art happenings can be a powerful medium of expression, a way of showing instead of telling, how strongly we feel about the importance of our message," Knight said.

Reporter Martin Kidston can be reached at 447-4086, or mkidston@helenair.com.