Yes, using innerHTML to bypass the HTML DOM is the poster child for this kind of...

gruseom on June 28, 2011 | parent | context | favorite | on: Paper.js — The Swiss Army Knife of Vector Graphics...

Yes, using innerHTML to bypass the HTML DOM is the poster child for this kind of thing.

We've tried all the alternative techniques you mention (with HTML DOMs, that is - I don't think any of them work with SVG) and had disappointing results.