Earlier quoted context omitted.
I suspect you may be missing the point of this exercise
I like unconventional solutions and hacks as much as the next guy, but a good hack should be better than the conventional solution in at least some way (like simplicity or tweakability). If the hack is worse in every way - the CSS is both longer and harder to write than the equivalent SVG - it's not as interesting to me.
This is not a good hack.
It is art.